Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 135

Devanagari script

सिंहस्य न मृगैः कार्यं हरिणीं प्रति पश्यतः । यत्र सा हरिणी याति ययौ सिंहस्तथैव ताम्

Transliteration

siṃhasya na mṛgaiḥ kāryaṃ hariṇīṃ prati paśyataḥ | yatra sā hariṇī yāti yayau siṃhastathaiva tām

Translation

Pour le lion, nul souci des autres cerfs : il ne regardait que la biche. Où qu’elle allât, le lion la suivait de même.

Word by Word

• सिंहस्य: of the lion
• सिंहस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive Singular

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• मृगैः: with deer; by deer
• मृगैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Instrumental Plural

• कार्यं: business; need; concern
• कार्यं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — Nominative/Accusative Singular

• हरिणीं: the doe
• हरिणीं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• प्रति: towards
• प्रति: Karma-pravacanīya (Directional relation/कर्मप्रवचनीय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय (preposition-like indeclinable)

• पश्यतः: of (him) who is seeing
• पश्यतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive Singular; ‘seeing’

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular (pronoun)

• हरिणी: the doe
• हरिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — goes

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन — went

• सिंहः: the lion
• सिंहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular (pronoun)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa narrative style, Sūta to the sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Raivataka vicinity)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The lion ignores the surrounding herd, tracking only the doe; the doe’s path becomes a visual line the lion mirrors, creating a tense, repetitive chase rhythm through trees.

Characters & Entities

• Siṃha (lion)
• Hariṇī/Mṛgī (doe)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fixation narrows discernment; dharma teaches the mind to be guided by wisdom rather than compulsive attachment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative sits within the Vastrāpatha māhātmya of Prabhāsa, though this verse focuses on the pursuit episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.