Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 122

Devanagari script

झषमृत्युप्रभावेन जाता क्रौंची वने नृप । गोदावरीवने व्याधो भ्रमते मृगमार्गकः

Transliteration

jhaṣamṛtyuprabhāvena jātā krauṃcī vane nṛpa | godāvarīvane vyādho bhramate mṛgamārgakaḥ

Translation

ഹേ നൃപാ! മത്സ്യമരണത്തിന്റെ പ്രഭാവത്താൽ ഞാൻ വനത്തിൽ ക്രൗഞ്ചി (സ്ത്രീ ക്രൗഞ്ചപക്ഷി)യായി ജനിച്ചു. ഗോദാവരീവനത്തിൽ ഒരു വ്യാധൻ മൃഗപാതകൾ പിന്തുടർന്ന് അലഞ്ഞു നടന്നു.

Word by Word

• झषमृत्युप्रभावेन: by the power of the fish's death
• झषमृत्युप्रभावेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: झष+मृत्यु+प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (instrumental), एकवचनम् (singular)

• जाता: (she) became/was born
• जाता: Karta/State (कर्ता/भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) + जात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्गः (feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (nominative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• क्रौञ्ची: a female krauñca bird
• क्रौञ्ची: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रौञ्ची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (nominative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (locative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (vocative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• गोदावरीवने: in the Godāvarī forest
• गोदावरीवने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोदावरी+वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (locative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• व्याधः: hunter
• व्याधः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (nominative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• भ्रमते: wanders
• भ्रमते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular)

• मृगमार्गकः: tracker of deer; one who follows animal-tracks
• मृगमार्गकः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग+मार्गक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (nominative), एकवचनम् (singular)

Speaker

Deductive: A character narrating past-life experience to a king (listener addressed as nṛpa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dense riverside forest near the Godāvarī: a female krauñca-bird amid reeds; a hunter moves stealthily along deer-tracks, bow and quiver visible; the river glints through trees, foreshadowing fate.

Characters & Entities

• Godāvarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karma shapes embodiment and circumstance; even the manner of death is woven into later experiences described in Purāṇic storytelling.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse references the Godāvarī forest region as narrative geography within the wider Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse introduces a karmic-rebirth narrative episode.