Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अथाभवदनावृष्टिः कदाचिन्महती प्रिये । कृच्छ्रं प्राप्तो ह्यभूत्तत्र सर्वलोकः क्षुधार्दितः

Transliteration

athābhavadanāvṛṣṭiḥ kadācinmahatī priye | kṛcchraṃ prāpto hyabhūttatra sarvalokaḥ kṣudhārditaḥ

Translation

Alors, à un certain moment, ô bien-aimée, survint une grande sécheresse, sans pluie. Dès lors, tout le peuple tomba dans une détresse sévère, tourmenté par la faim.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (sequence/then)

• अभवत्: there occurred
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अनावृष्टिः: drought; lack of rain
• अनावृष्टिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनावृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) = अ- (निषेध) + आवृष्टि
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• कदाचित्: at some time
• कदाचित्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• महती: great
• महती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying अनावृष्टिः)

• प्रिये: O dear one
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• कृच्छ्रम्: hardship; distress
• कृच्छ्रम्: Kriya-visheshana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (used adverbially)

• प्राप्तः: having reached; afflicted (with)
• प्राप्तः: Kriya (Predicative complement/क्रियापूरक)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (प्राप्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘अभूत्’ इत्यस्य पूरकभावः

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/indeed)

• अभूत्: became; was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• सर्वलोकः: the whole populace
• सर्वलोकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (सर्वः लोकः)

• क्षुधार्दितः: tormented by hunger
• क्षुधार्दितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुध् (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्दित (अर्द् धातु + क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (क्षुधया अर्दितः) विशेषण (सर्वलोकः)

Speaker

Deductive: Purāṇic narrator addressing a female listener ("priye") within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: priye (addressed interlocutor; unnamed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A parched landscape around the sacred region: cracked earth, withered trees, empty wells; people weakened by hunger gather in despair; the narrator addresses a ‘dear one’ as the calamity unfolds.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa region
• drought (anāvṛṣṭi)
• people afflicted by hunger

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even in sacred lands, worldly crises arise—testing dharma, compassion, and the resilience of spiritual communities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative context remains Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where the drought episode unfolds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces the calamity that frames subsequent actions.