Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

कुण्डलेऽथानय क्षिप्रं मदयंत्याश्च पुत्रक । नो चेच्छापं प्रदास्यामि पञ्चमेऽह्नि न आगतः

Transliteration

kuṇḍale'thānaya kṣipraṃ madayaṃtyāśca putraka | no cecchāpaṃ pradāsyāmi pañcame'hni na āgataḥ

Translation

「我が子よ、マダヤンティーのもとからその一対の耳飾りを速やかに持ち来たれ。もし従わず、五日目までに戻らぬなら、汝に呪詛を下そう。」

Word by Word

• कुण्डले: the two earrings
• कुण्डले: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), द्विवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse marker (Sambandha/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/सम्बन्धसूचक (particle: then/now)

• आनय: bring
• आनय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु) उपसर्ग-आ
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; उपसर्गयुक्त (आ + नी)

• क्षिप्रम्: quickly
• क्षिप्रम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षिप्र (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभावप्राय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• मदयन्त्याः: of Madayantī
• मदयन्त्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मदयन्ती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (Samuccaya/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पुत्रक: dear boy
• पुत्रक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; स्नेहसूचक (diminutive)

• नः: not
• नः: Negation (Nishedha/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Condition marker (Hetu/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तसूचक (conditional particle: if)

• शापम्: a curse
• शापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रदास्यामि: I will give/inflict
• प्रदास्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) उपसर्ग-प्र
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; उपसर्गयुक्त (प्र + दा)

• पञ्चमे: on the fifth
• पञ्चमे: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (अह्नि)

• अह्नि: day
• अह्नि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Negation (Nishedha/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• आगतः: (he) has come/arrived
• आगतः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘आगतः’ = ‘has come’

Speaker

Gurupatnī (Gautama’s wife)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The guru’s wife specifies the object—Madayantī’s pair of earrings—and sets a strict five-day limit, her expression stern yet purposeful; Uttaṅka appears resolute, aware of the looming curse.

Characters & Entities

• Gurupatnī
• Madayantī
• Kuṇḍala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual duty demands timeliness and resolve; negligence in a vowed task brings consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No; the verse is narrative and mission-oriented within Arbuda-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A specific guru-dakṣiṇā item is prescribed: obtaining and bringing a pair of earrings within a set time.