Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

येषां शब्दं समाकर्ण्य मुनयोऽपि समाहिताः । क्षोभं यांति त्रिकालज्ञाः कंदर्पशरपीडिताः

Transliteration

yeṣāṃ śabdaṃ samākarṇya munayo'pi samāhitāḥ | kṣobhaṃ yāṃti trikālajñāḥ kaṃdarpaśarapīḍitāḥ

Translation

À l’écoute de leurs chants, même les sages recueillis en samādhi—bien qu’ils connaissent les trois temps—sont troublés, meurtris comme frappés par les flèches de Kāma.

Word by Word

• yeṣām: of whom/whose
• yeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• śabdam: sound
• śabdam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śabda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• samākarṇya: having heard
• samākarṇya: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √karṇ (धातु) + sam-ā- (उपसर्ग) ; samākarṇya (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• munayaḥ: sages
• munayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-अव्यय (emphatic/also)

• samāhitāḥ: composed, concentrated
• samāhitāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ā-√dhā (धातु) ; samāhita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘समाधित/एकाग्र’

• kṣobham: agitation
• kṣobham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣobha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• yānti: go/come to, fall into
• yānti: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• tri-kāla-jñāḥ: knowers of the three times
• tri-kāla-jñāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + jña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रिकालस्य ज्ञाः)

• kaṃdarpa-śara-pīḍitāḥ: tormented by Kāma’s arrows
• kaṃdarpa-śara-pīḍitāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaṃdarpa (प्रातिपदिक) + śara (प्रातिपदिक) + pīḍita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (कंदर्पस्य शरैः पीडिताः)

Speaker

Narrator (māhātmya description emphasizing irresistible beauty)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-parvata

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene forested mountain hermitage: meditating sages suddenly stirred as enchanting calls echo through valleys; subtle depiction of Kāma’s unseen arrows as ripples of sound and agitation.

Characters & Entities

• Munis
• Kandarpa (Kāma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse highlights the overwhelming potency of beauty in a sacred realm—testing even disciplined minds and reminding one to guard inner steadiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mount Arbuda, whose atmosphere is portrayed as enchantingly powerful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it conveys a moral-psychological observation about tapas and sensory allure.