Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

स मुनिस्तन्महद्दृष्ट्वा मत्स्यानां कदनं कृतम् । कृपया परयाविष्टो दाशान्प्रोवाच दुःखितः

Transliteration

sa munistanmahaddṛṣṭvā matsyānāṃ kadanaṃ kṛtam | kṛpayā parayāviṣṭo dāśānprovāca duḥkhitaḥ

Translation

Ce sage, voyant le grand massacre de poissons qui avait été commis, fut envahi d’une compassion profonde ; accablé de peine, il s’adressa aux pêcheurs.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• muniḥ: the sage
• muniḥ: Karta (Subject; apposition to saḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Karman (Object; of dṛṣṭvā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Accusative singular)

• mahat: great
• mahat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; tat-विशेषण

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund)

• matsyānām: of the fish
• matsyānām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: matsya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

• kadanam: slaughter; destruction
• kadanam: Karman (Object; with kṛtam)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kadana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (here as object-complement with kṛtam)

• kṛtam: done; committed
• kṛtam: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (√kṛ धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; kadanam-समनाधिकरण

• kṛpayā: with compassion
• kṛpayā: Karaṇa/Hetu (Means/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛpā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (Instrumental singular)

• parayā: supreme; great
• parayā: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; kṛpayā-विशेषण

• āviṣṭaḥ: overcome; filled
• āviṣṭaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of muniḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: āviṣṭa (ā-√viś धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; “entered/possessed (by)”

• dāśān: the fishermen
• dāśān: Karman (Object; of provāca)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (Accusative plural)

• provāca: said; addressed
• provāca: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• duḥkhitaḥ: sorrowful
• duḥkhitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkhita (प्रातिपदिक; duḥkha + ita)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; muniḥ-विशेषण

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continuing the narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate sage stands by a shore or estuary in Prabhāsa, witnessing heaps of freshly caught fish and distressed aquatic life; fishermen with nets and baskets pause as the sage addresses them with sorrowful eyes.

Characters & Entities

• Āpastamba
• Dāśas/Kaivartas (fishermen)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true saint responds to harm with compassion and corrective guidance, upholding ahiṃsā and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The moral episode is embedded in Prabhāsa Kṣetra Māhātmya, linking ethical teaching with sacred place-narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes compassion and the ethical weight of violence.