Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । एवं संभाष्य तं वत्समवघ्राय च मूर्द्धनि । स्वमातरं सखीवर्गं ततो द्रष्टुं समागता

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | evaṃ saṃbhāṣya taṃ vatsamavaghrāya ca mūrddhani | svamātaraṃ sakhīvargaṃ tato draṣṭuṃ samāgatā

Translation

ಪುಲಸ್ತ್ಯನು ಹೇಳಿದರು: ಹೀಗೆ ಪ್ರಿಯ ವತ್ಸನೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಾತಾಡಿ, ಅವನ ತಲೆಯನ್ನು ಸ್ನೇಹದಿಂದ ಮುದ್ದಿಟ್ಟು/ಘ್ರಾಣಿಸಿ, ನಂತರ ತನ್ನ ತಾಯಿಯನ್ನೂ ಸಖೀವರ್ಗವನ್ನೂ ನೋಡಲು ತೆರಳಿದಳು.

Word by Word

• pulastyaḥ: Pulastya
• pulastyaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pulastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (M), प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• saṃbhāṣya: having spoken
• saṃbhāṣya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-√bhāṣ (भाष् धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकाल (having spoken)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (M), द्वितीया (Acc/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• vatsam: the child / dear son
• vatsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (M), द्वितीया (Acc/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• avaghrāya: having smelled
• avaghrāya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ava-√ghrā (घ्रा धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकाल (having smelled/sniffed)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• mūrddhani: on the head
• mūrddhani: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūrdhan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (M), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• sva-mātaram: one's own mother
• sva-mātaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (F), द्वितीया (Acc/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• sakhī-vargam: group of female friends
• sakhī-vargam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sakhī + varga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (M), द्वितीया (Acc/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: then/from there)

• draṣṭum: to see
• draṣṭum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √dṛś (दृश् धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), प्रयोजन (purpose)

• samāgatā: came / arrived
• samāgatā: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√gam (गम् धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle used finitely), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (F), प्रथमा (Nom/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Pulastya

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience (likely addressed to a sage interlocutor in frame कथा)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tender farewell: a motherly figure affectionately kisses/smells the child’s head; then she walks toward an elder woman (her mother) with a group of companions.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames the dharmic counsel within a compassionate family moment, highlighting affection alongside duty and discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this narrative line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative connective verse.