Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

ततो रुद्धे शकृन्मूत्रे सैन्यमानाहदुःखितम् । तथागतमभिभेक्ष्य पर्यतप्यत पार्थिवः

Transliteration

tato ruddhe śakṛnmūtre sainyamānāhaduḥkhitam | tathāgatamabhibhekṣya paryatapyata pārthivaḥ

Translation

Lorsque l’évacuation fut ainsi bloquée, l’armée, accablée, poussa des cris de détresse ; voyant ce qui s’était produit, le roi en fut profondément tourmenté.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = 'thereupon/then'

• ruddhe: (when) blocked/obstructed
• ruddhe: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rudh (धातु) → rudhita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी-द्विवचनम्; locative dual neuter; 'when (two things) were blocked'

• śakṛt: feces
• śakṛt: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakṛt (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम् (context: in compound)

• mūtre: urine
• mūtre: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūtra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया/सप्तमी द्विवचनम् (context: in compound; here with śakṛt as dvandva-like pair)

• sainyam: the army
• sainyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sainya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनम्; nominative singular neuter

• ānāha-duḥkhitam: distressed by swelling/obstruction
• ānāha-duḥkhitam: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ānāha (प्रातिपदिक) + duḥkhita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (आनाहेन दुःखितम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनम्; qualifying 'sainyam'

• tathā: thus, in that manner
• tathā: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

• āgatam: come, arrived (state)
• āgatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√gam (धातु) → āgata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचनम्; object of 'abhibhekṣya'

• abhibhekṣya: having seen/observed
• abhibhekṣya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: abhi-√īkṣ (धातु) → abhibhekṣya (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्-अव्यय (absolutive); 'having looked at/observed'

• paryatapyata: was greatly distressed
• paryatapyata: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√tap (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्; 'he was distressed/tormented'

• pārthivaḥ: the king
• pārthivaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārthiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचनम्; nominative singular masculine

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Soldiers writhe and cry; the king stands amid ministers, face tightened with concern, hands raised in questioning; banners droop as the camp’s confidence collapses.

Characters & Entities

• Śaryāti
• Bhārgava (Cyavana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A ruler must respond to collective suffering with inquiry and corrective action, recognizing that dharma-breach can manifest as public distress.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the king’s crisis becomes a lesson in dharma within the māhātmya framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it narrates the onset of suffering and the king’s concern.