Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

रूपेण वयसा चैव सुरापानमदेन च । बभंज वनवृक्षाणां शाखाः परम पुष्पिताः

Transliteration

rūpeṇa vayasā caiva surāpānamadena ca | babhaṃja vanavṛkṣāṇāṃ śākhāḥ parama puṣpitāḥ

Translation

रूप-यौवनाच्या गर्वाने आणि सुरापानाच्या मदाने मत्त होऊन तिने वनवृक्षांच्या अतिशय फुललेल्या फांद्या मोडून टाकल्या।

Word by Word

• रूपेण: by beauty/form
• रूपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• वयसा: by youth/age
• वयसा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात

• सुरापानमदेन: by the intoxication of drinking liquor
• सुरापानमदेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरा + पान + मद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) = सुरायाः पानात् मदः (intoxication from drinking liquor)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• बभंज: broke
• बभंज: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भञ्ज् (भञ्जने)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वनवृक्षाणाम्: of the forest trees
• वनवृक्षाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन + वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) = वनस्य वृक्षाः (forest-trees)

• शाखाः: branches
• शाखाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाखा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• परम: exceedingly, very
• परम: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण अव्ययीभूत (adverbial use: exceedingly/very)

• पुष्पिताः: flowering, in bloom
• पुष्पिताः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √पुष्प्/पुष्प (पुष्पे) (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), विशेषण (शाखाः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (sacred grove)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The maiden, flushed with youth and intoxication, snaps heavily blossomed branches; petals scatter as companions recoil, and the grove’s sacred calm turns tense.

Characters & Entities

• Sukanyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pride and intoxication lead to heedless actions; dharma emphasizes restraint, especially within sacred settings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, the sacred region whose māhātmya frames this episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse implies ethical restraint rather than a formal rite.