Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

राज्ञ्युवाच । गच्छावस्तत्र यत्रैव कपालं पतितं तव । स्फोटिते च कपाले च हिरण्यं दृश्यते यदि । प्रत्ययो मे भवेत्पश्चात्तव वाक्यं न संशयः

Transliteration

rājñyuvāca | gacchāvastatra yatraiva kapālaṃ patitaṃ tava | sphoṭite ca kapāle ca hiraṇyaṃ dṛśyate yadi | pratyayo me bhavetpaścāttava vākyaṃ na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

രാജ്ഞി പറഞ്ഞു—നിന്റെ കപാലം വീണ അതേ സ്ഥലത്തേക്ക് നമുക്ക് പോകാം. ആ കപാലം പൊട്ടിച്ചപ്പോൾ അതിനുള്ളിൽ സ്വർണം കാണുന്നുവെങ്കിൽ, പിന്നെ എനിക്ക് ഉറപ്പ് വരും; നിന്റെ വാക്കിൽ സംശയം ഉണ്ടാകില്ല।

Word by Word

• rājñī: the queen
• rājñī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājñī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; feminine nominative singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; perfect, 3rd sg

• gacchāvaḥ: let us two go / you two go
• gacchāvaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), द्विवचन; imperative, 2nd dual

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (relative adverb ‘where’)

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• kapālam: skull
• kapālam: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; neuter nom/acc sg

• patitam: fallen
• patitam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √pat (धातु) → patita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; past participle, neuter nom/acc sg; agrees with kapālam

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन; pronoun genitive singular

• sphoṭite: when (it is) broken
• sphoṭite: Adhikarana (Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sphuṭita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; neuter locative singular (absolute-like: ‘when broken’)

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

• kapāle: in/on the skull
• kapāle: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kapāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन; neuter locative singular

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

• hiraṇyam: gold
• hiraṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hiraṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; neuter nom/acc sg

• dṛśyate: is seen, appears
• dṛśyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive); present passive, 3rd sg

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition marker/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तबोधक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• pratyayaḥ: conviction, proof
• pratyayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; masculine nominative singular

• me: for me
• me: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (genitive/dative) एकवचन; enclitic pronoun ‘to me/of me’

• bhavet: would be, may arise
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (potential/optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; optative, 3rd sg

• paścāt: afterwards
• paścāt: Kriya-viseshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścāt (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन; pronoun genitive singular

• vākyam: statement, words
• vākyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; neuter nom/acc sg

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• saṃśayaḥ: doubt
• saṃśayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन; masculine nominative singular

Speaker

Rājñī (the queen)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (micro-site of the fallen kapāla)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The queen challenges the king: they should go to the exact place where his skull fell; if gold appears when it is split, she will be convinced.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• kapāla (skull)
• hiraṇya (gold)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faith matures when doubt is resolved through direct encounter with sacred reality—here, a tangible sign is sought to confirm a dharmic claim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetra), introduced as the destination where the event and its proof will be revealed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it frames a pilgrimage to the spot of the fallen skull to verify the marvel.