Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ततो देवैः समादिष्टः कामदेवो वरानने । मृतभार्यं हरं गत्वा ततः पीडय सायकैः

Transliteration

tato devaiḥ samādiṣṭaḥ kāmadevo varānane | mṛtabhāryaṃ haraṃ gatvā tataḥ pīḍaya sāyakaiḥ

Translation

അപ്പോൾ, ഹേ സുന്ദരമുഖീ ദേവീ, ദേവന്മാരുടെ ആജ്ഞപ്രകാരം കാമദേവൻ, ഭാര്യ നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ട ഹരൻ (ശിവൻ) അടുക്കൽ ചെന്നു, തന്റെ ശരങ്ങളാൽ അവനെ പീഡിപ്പിക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങി।

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kala/Sequence (क्रम/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदर्थक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) = 'then/from there'

• देवैः: by the gods
• देवैः: Karana/Agent-in-passive (करण/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• समादिष्टः: having been instructed/commanded
• समादिष्टः: Visheshana (Modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+आ+दिश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• कामदेवः: Kāmadeva
• कामदेवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कामस्य देवः)

• वरानने: O fair-faced one
• वरानने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरानना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मृतभार्यम्: one whose wife is dead
• मृतभार्यम्: Visheshana (Modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त; √मृ + क्त) + भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (मृता भार्या यस्य सः)

• हरम्: Hara (Śiva)
• हरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/क्त्वान्त), 'having gone'

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kala/Sequence (क्रम/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक

• पीडय: torment/afflict
• पीडय: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पीड् (धातु) caus. (णिच्)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त

• सायकैः: with arrows
• सायकैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from Purāṇic māhātmya narration style within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (vocative ‘varānane’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas instruct Kāma; Kāma approaches bereaved Hara and shoots flower-arrows to stir desire; the mood is tense—audacity before the ascetic Lord.

Characters & Entities

• Kāmadeva
• Devas
• Hara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even divine desire (kāma) cannot compel the ascetic resolve of Śiva; dharma is upheld when passions are restrained.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is part of the Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, ultimately glorifying Prabhāsa as Śiva’s chosen sacred abode after the event.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; it sets the mythic cause for later praise of Prabhāsa-kṣetra and its merits.