Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । कथं तु सिद्धो वाल्मीकिः कथं चौर्येऽकरोन्मनः । कथं सप्तर्षयो मुष्टा एतन्मे वद शंकर

Transliteration

devyuvāca | kathaṃ tu siddho vālmīkiḥ kathaṃ caurye'karonmanaḥ | kathaṃ saptarṣayo muṣṭā etanme vada śaṃkara

Translation

Sang Dewī berkata: Bagaimana Vālmīki mencapai kesempurnaan? Bagaimana pula ia menaruh pikirannya pada pencurian? Bagaimana Tujuh Ṛṣi dapat ditawan? Katakanlah kepadaku, wahai Śaṅkara.

Word by Word

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Sambandha/Prashna (Interrogative relation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/अन्वयार्थ (but/indeed)

• सिद्धः: accomplished/perfected
• सिद्धः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्ध (कृदन्त; √सिध्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• वाल्मीकिः: Vālmīki
• वाल्मीकिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाल्मीकि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Sambandha/Prashna (Interrogative relation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• चौर्ये: in theft/stealing
• चौर्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चौर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अकरोत्: made/did
• अकरोत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मनः: mind
• मनः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Sambandha/Prashna (Interrogative relation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• सप्तर्षयः: the seven sages
• सप्तर्षयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त + ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सप्तानां ऋषयः)

• मुष्टाः: robbed/plundered
• मुष्टाः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुष्ट (कृदन्त; √मुष्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मे: to me/of me
• मे: Sampradana/Relation (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• शंकर: O Śaṅkara
• शंकर: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī / Mahādevī)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, attentive and earnest, questions Śaṅkara about Vālmīki’s siddhi, his turn to theft, and the seizing of the Saptarṣis; Śiva poised to narrate a moral-psychological backstory.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Vālmīki
• Saptarṣi
• Śaṅkara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even a life marked by wrongdoing can culminate in spiritual perfection through transformation—hence the need to hear sacred histories.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The inquiry pertains to events located at Śūlasthāna on the Devikā river within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it initiates the kathā (sacred narrative) explaining the tīrtha’s fame.