Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

उद्धव उवाच । भगवानपि दाशार्हः कन्दर्पशरपीडितः । न भुंक्ते न स्वपिति च चिन्तयन्वस्त्वहर्निशम्

Transliteration

uddhava uvāca | bhagavānapi dāśārhaḥ kandarpaśarapīḍitaḥ | na bhuṃkte na svapiti ca cintayanvastvaharniśam

Translation

ഉദ്ധവൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഭഗവാനായ ദാശാർഹനും കന്ദർപ്പശരപീഡിതനായി, ആ കാര്യം ദിനരാത്രം ചിന്തിച്ച്, ഭക്ഷിക്കയും ഉറങ്ങുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നില്ല.

Word by Word

• uddhavaḥ: Uddhava
• uddhavaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uddhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• bhagavān: the Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• api: also, even
• api: Sambandha/Emphasis particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-भाव

• dāśārhaḥ: the Dāśārha (Krishna)
• dāśārhaḥ: Apposition (to ‘bhagavān’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāśārha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• kandarpa-śara-pīḍitaḥ: afflicted by Cupid’s arrows
• kandarpa-śara-pīḍitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘bhagavān/dāśārhaḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kandarpa (प्रातिपदिक) + śara (प्रातिपदिक) + pīḍita (कृदन्त, √pīḍ ‘to afflict’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कन्दर्पस्य शरैः पीडितः)

• na: not
• na: Negation (of verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• bhuṃkte: eats/enjoys
• bhuṃkte: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhuj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• na: not
• na: Negation (of verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• svapiti: sleeps
• svapiti: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √svap (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• cintayan: thinking
• cintayan: Karta (Participial, qualifying subject)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √cint (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• vastu: the matter/thing
• vastu: Karma (Object of ‘cintayan’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vastu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (चिन्तयन्—कर्म)

• ahar-niśam: day and night
• ahar-niśam: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time adjunct)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ahar (प्रातिपदिक) + niśā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः; समासः—द्वन्द्वः (अहः च निशा च) → ‘day and night’ (adverbial)

Speaker

Uddhava

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gopīs and Vraja people (primary); Purāṇic audience (secondary)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Uddhava speaks: Kṛṣṇa, the Dāśārha, is shown inwardly restless, struck by Kāma’s arrows, unable to eat or sleep, absorbed in thought—an intimate divine portrait.

Characters & Entities

• Uddhava
• Kṛṣṇa (Dāśārha)
• Kandarpa (Kāma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic idiom portrays divine love as supremely intense; remembrance (smaraṇa) becomes ceaseless and transforms suffering into devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, where Kṛṣṇa’s intimate circle (like Uddhava) articulates the sacred emotional theology surrounding the Lord.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the implied practice is constant remembrance (aharniśa-smaraṇa).