Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

कण्व उवाच । शृणु राज्ञि प्रवक्ष्यामि अन्यदेहोद्भवं तव । न रोषश्च त्वया कार्यो लज्जा वापि सुमध्यमे

Transliteration

kaṇva uvāca | śṛṇu rājñi pravakṣyāmi anyadehodbhavaṃ tava | na roṣaśca tvayā kāryo lajjā vāpi sumadhyame

Translation

Kaṇva berkata: “Dengarlah, wahai ratu; akan kukatakan apa yang timbul dari penjelmaanmu yang dahulu. Wahai yang berpinggang ramping, jangan marah dan jangan pula merasa malu.”

Word by Word

• कण्वः: Kaṇva
• कण्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• राज्ञि: O queen
• राज्ञि: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राज्ञी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; (O queen)

• प्रवक्ष्यामि: I will tell
• प्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अन्यदेहोद्भवम्: arising from another body (previous birth)
• अन्यदेहोद्भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य-देह-उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: अन्य (adj) + देह (noun) + उद्भव (noun)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (arising from another body)

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (of you/your)

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

• रोषः: anger
• रोषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: तृतीया (3), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (by you)

• कार्यः: to be done / should be (made)
• कार्यः: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृ धातोः यत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be done/should be)

• लज्जा: shame
• लज्जा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लज्जा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (or)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/सम्भावनार्थक निपात (also/even)

• सुमध्यमे: O slender-waisted one
• सुमध्यमे: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-मध्यमा (प्रातिपदिक); घटक: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + मध्यमा (adj)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (O well-waisted one)

Speaker

Kaṇva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (frame of the narrative)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājñī (queen)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Kaṇva addresses a queen in a calm hermitage setting, raising a hand in reassurance as he begins a past-life account; the queen listens with mixed anxiety and composure.

Characters & Entities

• Kaṇva
• rājñī (queen/Indumatī)
• karma (former-life causality)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When past karma is revealed, the proper response is steadiness—neither anger nor shame—so that knowledge becomes transformative rather than disturbing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction occurs within Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, where sacred place and dharma teaching mutually reinforce each other.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is given here; it is a preface to karmic narration and ethical counsel on composure.