Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

अहं कथं सखीनां तु दर्शयिष्यामि वै मुखम् । भर्त्रा मे विहिता पत्नी कथमेतदहं वदे

Transliteration

ahaṃ kathaṃ sakhīnāṃ tu darśayiṣyāmi vai mukham | bhartrā me vihitā patnī kathametadahaṃ vade

Translation

Comment pourrai-je montrer mon visage à mes compagnes ? Comment dire ceci : que mon époux m’a désignée pour épouse ?

Word by Word

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kathaṃ: how
• kathaṃ: Sambandha (Question/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय

• sakhīnām: of (my) female friends
• sakhīnām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sakhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• tu: but, however
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (adversative/emphatic particle)

• darśayiṣyāmi: I will show
• darśayiṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + ṇic (णिच्)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; causative (प्रेरणार्थ) ‘दर्शयति’

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• mukham: face
• mukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• bhartrā: by (my) husband
• bhartrā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhartṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (enclitic)

• vihitā: appointed, ordained
• vihitā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + dhā (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘पत्नी’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• patnī: wife
• patnī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• katham: how
• katham: Sambandha (Question/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vade: I say, I speak
• vade: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Unspecified (contextually Sāvitrī speaking to Brahmā/others)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A woman/consort figure turns away, face half-covered in shame, thinking of her companions; the sacred setting contrasts with her inner turmoil about being assigned as wife by her husband.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes protecting dignity and truth in relationships; social honor and personal integrity are treated as serious moral concerns.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhās Pāṭaṇ region), within the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya of the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it is part of the narrative leading to later statements about worship and its timing.