Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

मातृशापेन संतप्ता वयं पन्नगसत्तम । किं कुर्मः क्व च गच्छामः शापमोक्षो भवेत्कथम्

Transliteration

mātṛśāpena saṃtaptā vayaṃ pannagasattama | kiṃ kurmaḥ kva ca gacchāmaḥ śāpamokṣo bhavetkatham

Translation

Kami diseksa oleh sumpahan ibu, wahai yang terbaik antara para ular. Apakah yang harus kami lakukan dan ke manakah harus kami pergi? Bagaimanakah pembebasan daripada sumpahan itu dapat dicapai?

Word by Word

• mātṛśāpena: by the mother’s curse
• mātṛśāpena: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ + śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (m.), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instr./3rd), एकवचनम् (sg.); तत्पुरुषसमासः (मातुः शापेन)

• saṃtaptāḥ: afflicted
• saṃtaptāḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-√tap (धातु) + saṃtapta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त), पुंलिङ्गः (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), बहुवचनम् (pl.); विशेषणम् (वयम्)

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), बहुवचनम् (pl.)

• pannagasattama: O best of serpents
• pannagasattama: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pannaga + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Voc./8th), पुंलिङ्गः (m.), एकवचनम् (sg.); कर्मधारयसमासः (सत्तमः पन्नगः)

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (n.), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Acc./2nd), एकवचनम् (sg.); प्रश्नार्थक-सर्वनाम

• kurmaḥ: do (shall we do)
• kurmaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः (1st person), बहुवचनम् (pl.)

• kva: where
• kva: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kva (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानप्रश्नवाचक-अव्ययम् (interrogative adverb: 'where')

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction: 'and')

• gacchāmaḥ: go (shall we go)
• gacchāmaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः (1st person), बहुवचनम् (pl.)

• śāpamokṣaḥ: release from the curse
• śāpamokṣaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa + mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), एकवचनम् (sg.); तत्पुरुषसमासः (शापस्य मोक्षः)

• bhavet: may be / could occur
• bhavet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (sg.)

• katham: how
• katham: Prakaraṇa (प्रकरण/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारप्रश्नवाचक-अव्ययम् (interrogative adverb: 'how')

Speaker

Nāgāḥ (the serpents), addressing Śeṣa (Nāgarāja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close-up of Nāga elders with anxious eyes and folded hands addressing Śeṣa; the atmosphere is heavy with the weight of a mother’s curse, yet lit by hope for a path of release.

Characters & Entities

• Mātā (mother)
• Śeṣa (implied as pannaga-sattama)
• Nāgāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Suffering becomes fruitful when it turns into humble inquiry and a sincere search for dhārmic remedy under proper guidance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger passage points toward Arbuda (Mount Arbuda) as the sacred locus where the remedy will be undertaken.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a plea seeking the path to śāpa-mokṣa.