Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

कच्चिद्धि स्तः सुखं पुत्रौ रामकृष्णौ यदूत्तमौ । कच्चित्स्मरति गोविंदो वयस्यान्गोपबालकान्

Transliteration

kacciddhi staḥ sukhaṃ putrau rāmakṛṣṇau yadūttamau | kaccitsmarati goviṃdo vayasyāngopabālakān

Translation

«Les deux fils, Rāma et Kṛṣṇa—les plus nobles des Yadus—sont-ils vraiment en paix et heureux ? Govinda se souvient-il de ses compagnons, les jeunes bouviers, amis de son enfance ?»

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: whether, I hope
• कच्चित्: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/हेतु-सूचक

• स्तः: are (the two)
• स्तः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd), द्विवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• सुखम्: well, happily
• सुखम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-द्वितीया-एकवचनम् (accusative of manner)

• पुत्रौ: the two sons
• पुत्रौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), द्विवचनम्

• रामकृष्णौ: Rāma and Kṛṣṇa
• रामकृष्णौ: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राम (प्रातिपदिक) + कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, द्विवचनम्; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः

• यदूत्तमौ: best among the Yadus
• यदूत्तमौ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यदु (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, द्विवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (यदूनाम् उत्तमौ) विशेषणम् (रामकृष्णौ)

• कच्चित्: whether, I hope
• कच्चित्: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• स्मरति: remembers
• स्मरति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• गोविन्दः: Govinda
• गोविन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोविन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• वयस्यान्: companions, friends of the same age
• वयस्यान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वयस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), बहुवचनम्

• गोपबालकान्: cowherd boys
• गोपबालकान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोप (प्रातिपदिक) + बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (गोपाः एव बालकाः)

Speaker

Yaśodā (addressing Uddhava)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gokula/Vraja (implied) and Dvārakā (narrative frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yaśodā and Nanda, seated in a simple Vraja courtyard, ask with trembling hope about Rāma and Kṛṣṇa; the names ‘Govinda’ and ‘gopa-bālaka’ evoke distant cowherd play—flutes, calves, dust of Vraja—seen as faint memory-visions behind them.

Characters & Entities

• Yaśodā
• Rāma (Balarāma)
• Kṛṣṇa (Govinda)
• Yadus
• Gopabālas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti values relationship and remembrance; loving concern and smaraṇa bind devotees to the Lord across distance and time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gokula is honored through the remembrance of Govinda’s childhood circle, strengthening its sanctity within Kṛṣṇa’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse emphasizes smaraṇa (remembrance) as an inner devotional practice.