Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अच्छिन्नाग्रतृणं या तु सदा भक्षयते नृप । अथ सा गह्वरं प्राप्ता गिरेः शून्यं भयंकरम्

Transliteration

acchinnāgratṛṇaṃ yā tu sadā bhakṣayate nṛpa | atha sā gahvaraṃ prāptā gireḥ śūnyaṃ bhayaṃkaram

Translation

常に先の切られていない草を食んでいたその牝牛は、王よ、やがて山の洞窟に至った。そこは人影なく、恐ろしいほど荒涼としていた。

Word by Word

• अच्छिन्नाग्रतृणम्: grass with uncut tips (fresh grass)
• अच्छिन्नाग्रतृणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-छिन्न + अग्र + तृण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: नञ्-तत्पुरुष (अच्छिन्नम्) + तत्पुरुष (अग्रतृणम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• या: who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/contrast particle)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/adverb of time)

• भक्षयते: eats
• भक्षयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Sequencer/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रम/then)

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

• गह्वरम्: cave, deep hollow
• गह्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गह्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• प्राप्ता: having reached
• प्राप्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (गत्यर्थे) ‘having reached’

• गिरेः: of the mountain
• गिरेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• शून्यम्: empty, deserted
• शून्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शून्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (गह्वरम्)

• भयंकरम्: terrifying
• भयंकरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भयंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (गह्वरम्)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-gahvara (unnamed cave locus)

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (addressed as 'O king')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kapilā reaches a dark, empty, frightening cavern in the mountain; jagged rocks frame the cave-mouth, shadows deepen inside, and the cow stands poised at the threshold as if guided by unseen sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā (implied)
• mountain cavern (gahvara)
• king (addressed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wandering into fearsome places symbolizes the soul’s entry into trials where truthfulness and compassion will be tested.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The mountain terrain of Arbuda is foregrounded; the verse does not name a specific tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.