Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

स्नातं भुक्तं निजस्थाने कृतकृत्यं मनुं यथा । दृष्ट्वा हृष्टमनाः प्राह धूम्राक्षो रावणोदितम्

Transliteration

snātaṃ bhuktaṃ nijasthāne kṛtakṛtyaṃ manuṃ yathā | dṛṣṭvā hṛṣṭamanāḥ prāha dhūmrākṣo rāvaṇoditam

Translation

അവൻ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത്, ഭോജനം ചെയ്ത്, സ്വന്തം സ്ഥാനത്ത് ഇരുന്ന്—മനുവിനെപ്പോലെ കൃതകൃത്യനായി—ഇരുന്നതു കണ്ട ധൂമ്രാക്ഷൻ ഹർഷചിത്തത്തോടെ രാവണൻ പറഞ്ഞ സന്ദേശം അറിയിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• स्नातम्: bathed
• स्नातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु) → स्नात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular; describes the person seen)

• भुक्तम्: having eaten
• भुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुज् (धातु) → भुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निजस्थाने: in his own place
• निजस्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative singular); तत्पुरुष (निजं स्थानम्)

• कृतकृत्यम्: having completed his duties
• कृतकृत्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + कृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (कृतं कृत्यं यस्य = one whose duty is done)

• मनुम्: Manu
• मनुम्: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular; upamāna)

• यथा: as, like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक/तुलनार्थक (as, like)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभाव

• हृष्टमनाः: delighted at heart
• हृष्टमनाः: Visheshana (Qualifier of subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular); बहुव्रीहि (हृष्टं मनः यस्य = whose mind is delighted)

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह्/ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• धूम्राक्षः: Dhūmrākṣa
• धूम्राक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूम्राक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• रावणोदितम्: spoken by Rāvaṇa
• रावणोदितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक) + उदित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Accusative singular; object understood: “words”); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (रावणेन उदितम् = spoken by Rāvaṇa)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene figure sits in his own seat after bathing and eating, composed like Manu; nearby stands Dhūmrākṣa, a smoky-eyed rākṣasa messenger, smiling as he prepares to deliver Rāvaṇa’s words.

Characters & Entities

• Dhūmrākṣa
• Ajāpāla
• Rāvaṇa
• Manu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A dharmic life is marked by order, purity, and duty fulfilled—qualities praised even amid conflict.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya, which glorifies Prabhāsa as a sacred realm.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit ideals of snāna (bathing) and proper conduct are present, but no explicit injunction is stated.