Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

काकवंध्या तु या नारी मृतवत्सा च दुर्भगा । कन्याप्रसूश्च या कार्यमाभिरेतद्विशेषतः

Transliteration

kākavaṃdhyā tu yā nārī mṛtavatsā ca durbhagā | kanyāprasūśca yā kāryamābhiretadviśeṣataḥ

Translation

Mais la femme dite « kākavandhyā » (qui fait des fausses couches à répétition), ou celle dont les enfants meurent, ou la malchanceuse, ou celle qui n’enfante que des filles : qu’elles entreprennent tout particulièrement ce rite.

Word by Word

• kāka-vandhyā: a ‘kāka-vandhyā’ woman (utterly infertile)
• kāka-vandhyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāka (प्रातिपदिक) + vandhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Nominative singular; कर्मधारयः: ‘काकवत् वन्ध्या’ (barren like a crow; i.e., extremely infertile)

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात) = but/indeed

• yā: who
• yā: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Nominative singular; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम = who/which

• nārī: woman
• nārī: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Nominative singular; apposition to yā

• mṛta-vatsā: one whose child has died
• mṛta-vatsā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛta (कृदन्त; √mṛ (मृ) क्त) + vatsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Nominative singular; कर्मधारयः: ‘मृतः वत्सः यस्याः’ (whose child/calf is dead; i.e., having lost offspring)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) = and

• durbhagā: unfortunate
• durbhagā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: durbhagā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Nominative singular; विशेषण

• kanyā-prasūḥ: a woman who bears (only) a daughter
• kanyā-prasūḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक) + prasū (प्रातिपदिक; from √sū (सू) with प्र-; ‘one who gives birth’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Nominative singular; समासः: ‘कन्यां प्रसूते या’ (one who gives birth to a daughter)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) = and

• yā: who
• yā: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Nominative singular; relative pronoun

• kāryam: the rite to be performed
• kāryam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (कृदन्त; √kṛ (कृ) ण्यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन = Nom./Acc. singular; ‘to be done/that which should be done’

• ābhiḥ: by these (women)
• ābhiḥ: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन = Instrumental plural; ‘by these (women)’

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन = Nom./Acc. singular; refers to the act/rite

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Sambandha (Manner adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = especially, in particular

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual attribution within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Someśvara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Inquirer receiving the Somavāra-vrata procedure and eligibility notes

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate ritual scene: women with different forms of grief—one after miscarriage, one mourning a lost child, one socially marginalized—approach a Śiva shrine; a priestess/priest guides them in a gentle, dignified vow observance.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Puranic dharma presents vrata as a compassionate, faith-based remedy—directing the distressed toward disciplined devotion rather than despair.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, in connection with Someśvara and the Somavāra-vrata tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It recommends that such women particularly perform ‘this’ vrata—identified in context as the Somavāra-vrata connected to Someśvara.