Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

भ्रममाणस्य तस्याथ दृष्ट्वा रूपमनुत्तमम् । ता नार्यः कामसंतप्ता बभूवुर्व्यथितेन्द्रियाः

Transliteration

bhramamāṇasya tasyātha dṛṣṭvā rūpamanuttamam | tā nāryaḥ kāmasaṃtaptā babhūvurvyathitendriyāḥ

Translation

Alors, voyant sa beauté sans égale tandis qu’il errait, ces femmes, consumées par le désir, furent troublées jusque dans leurs sens.

Word by Word

• भ्रममाणस्य: of him who was wandering
• भ्रममाणस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/possessor)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु) + शानच् (प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शानच्-कृदन्त (present active participle) ‘भ्रममाण’; षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग (तस्य इति सह)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Sequencer)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereupon)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया (having seen)

• रूपम्: form, beauty
• रूपम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed, excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् रूपम्

• ताः: those (women)
• ताः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• नार्यः: women
• नार्यः: Apposition (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• कामसंतप्ता: tormented by desire
• कामसंतप्ता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + संतप्त (√तप् धातु, क्त; सम्-उपसर्ग)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (कामेन संतप्ताः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (to nāryaḥ)

• बभूवुः: became
• बभूवुः: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• व्यथितेन्द्रियाः: with distressed senses
• व्यथितेन्द्रियाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यथित (√व्यथ् धातु, क्त) + इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिसमास (व्यथितानि इन्द्रियाणि यस्याः/यासाम्); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (to women)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dāruka-vana

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Women of the sages’ hermitage behold the roaming Śiva’s incomparable beauty and become stirred by desire, their senses inwardly unsettled—an ethical tension scene.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implied)
• Women of the sages’ community (nāryaḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sense-agitation arises from fascination with form; the narrative points toward vigilance and self-restraint (indriya-nigraha).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya; the immediate scene is Dāruka Vana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse describes a psychological and moral turning point in the story.