Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

तैरहं शस्त्रहस्तैश्च उल्काहस्तैः समंततः । निरीक्षितोऽथ न प्राप्तं सुवर्णं मन्मुखे स्थितम्

Transliteration

tairahaṃ śastrahastaiśca ulkāhastaiḥ samaṃtataḥ | nirīkṣito'tha na prāptaṃ suvarṇaṃ manmukhe sthitam

Translation

ພວກເຂົາຖືອາວຸດ ແລະ ຖືຄົວໄຟ ລ້ອມຂ້ອຍທຸກທິດ ແລ້ວກວດຄົ້ນ; ແຕ່ພວກເຂົາບໍ່ໄດ້ຮັບຄຳທີ່ຝັງຢູ່ໃນປາກຂ້ອຍເລີຍ។

Word by Word

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Instrumental Plural Masculine/Pronoun)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karma (Patient; with passive participle निरीक्षितः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative Singular)

• शस्त्रहस्तैः: with weapons in hand
• शस्त्रहस्तैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of implied ‘guards/they’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तृतीया-समर्थनार्थे बहुव्रीहिवत् प्रयोगः, परन्तु समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: शस्त्रं हस्ते येषाम्/हस्ते शस्त्रं येषाम् (weapon-in-hand)

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

• उल्काहस्तैः: with torches in hand
• उल्काहस्तैः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of implied ‘guards/they’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उल्का (प्रातिपदिक) + हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: उल्का हस्ते येषाम् (torches/brands in hand)

• समन्ततः: all around
• समन्ततः: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Spatial adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समन्ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: on all sides)

• निरीक्षितः: was inspected
• निरीक्षितः: Kriyā (Predicate; passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + ईक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘was examined/inspected’

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरबोधक-अव्यय (then/thereupon)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• प्राप्तम्: was found/obtained
• प्राप्तम्: Kriyā (Predicate in impersonal sense)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र ‘(किञ्चित्) प्राप्तम्’ इति भावे ‘found/obtained’

• सुवर्णम्: gold
• सुवर्णम्: Karma (Object of implied ‘find/obtain’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter Nom/Acc Singular)

• मत्-मुखे: in my mouth
• मत्-मुखे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत् (अस्मद्-षष्ठी एकवचन-रूप ‘my’) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: मम मुखे (in my mouth)

• स्थितम्: placed
• स्थितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective of सुवर्णम्)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘situated/placed’ (qualifying सुवर्णम्)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya (contextual narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience within the frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Torch-bearing guards encircle the narrator, weapons raised, inspecting him closely; despite the search, the stolen gold remains hidden in his mouth, creating suspense under flickering light.

Characters & Entities

• guards (rakṣakāḥ)
• gold (suvarṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Concealment may evade human detection briefly, but the Purāṇic narrative frames such acts as inevitably accountable within dharma and karma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra remains the sacred backdrop; its māhātmya often uses dramatic episodes to highlight later purification through vrata/tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse is part of a lead-up to later statements about Śivarātri-related merit.