Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 72
Devanagari script
आह बालक उत्पन्नः शोकस्य वद कारणम् । अथोक्तः स्तन्यरहितं कथं ते जीवितं धृतम्
Transliteration
āha bālaka utpannaḥ śokasya vada kāraṇam | athoktaḥ stanyarahitaṃ kathaṃ te jīvitaṃ dhṛtam
Translation
彼女は言った。「おお、幼子よ、いま生まれ出たのなら、汝の悲しみの原因を語りなさい。」さらに問うた。「母乳もなく、いかにして汝の命は保たれたのか。」
Word by Word
आहshe said
आह:
Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootअह् (धातु)
Formलिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्
बालकO child
बालक:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootबालक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचनम्
उत्पन्नःborn
उत्पन्नः:
Sambodhana (Address qualifier)
TypeAdjective
Rootउत्-पद् (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (to बालक)
शोकस्यof sorrow
शोकस्य:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootशोक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी, एकवचनम् (genitive singular)
वदtell
वद:
Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
TypeVerb
Rootवद् (धातु)
Formलोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुषः (2nd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्
कारणम्cause, reason
कारणम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootकारण (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचनम् (accusative singular)
अथthen
अथ:
Sambandha (Discourse connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअथ (अव्यय)
Formअव्ययम्; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचकः (then/now)
उक्तः(he) being asked/said to
उक्तः:
Karta (Subject of implied ‘was asked’)
TypeVerb
Rootवच् (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्; ‘having been spoken/asked’ (elliptic: ‘he was addressed/asked’)
स्तन्यरहितम्devoid of milk (nursing)
स्तन्यरहितम्:
Karma (Object qualifier)
TypeAdjective
Rootस्तन्य-रहित (प्रातिपदिक; स्तन्य + रहित)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (to जीवितम्)
कथम्how
कथम्:
Kriya-viseshana (Interrogative adverb)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकथम् (अव्यय)
Formअव्ययम्; प्रश्नार्थक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (how)
तेyour
ते:
Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootत्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी (genitive) एकवचनम् (or चतुर्थी singular in some contexts); अत्र षष्ठी—‘thy/your’
जीवितम्life
जीवितम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootजीवित (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; अत्र द्वितीया (object of धृतम्—‘held/maintained’)
धृतम्sustained, maintained
धृतम्:
Kriya (Predicate participle)
TypeVerb
Rootधृ (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; अत्र ‘धृतम्’ = ‘sustained/maintained’ (with जीवितम्)
Speaker
Subhadrā
Tirtha Mahatmya
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Skanda Dialogue
Listener: Frame-audience
Visual Art Cues
Scene: Subhadrā, holding the child, gently questions him: why the sorrow, and how he survived without mother’s milk—an intimate inquiry into suffering and providence.
Characters & Entities
S
SubhadrāP
PrabhāsakṣetraFAQs
Compassionate inquiry is dharmic: one seeks the root of suffering and the means by which life is sustained.
Prabhāsakṣetra, where the māhātmya uses human questions to unfold sacred meaning and divine arrangement.
None; it is interpersonal dialogue within the sacred narrative.