Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

शृणु राजन्पुरा वृत्तं तत्राश्चर्यं यदुत्तमम् । कश्चित्पापसमाचारः कुष्ठी क्षामतनुर्नरः

Transliteration

śṛṇu rājanpurā vṛttaṃ tatrāścaryaṃ yaduttamam | kaścitpāpasamācāraḥ kuṣṭhī kṣāmatanurnaraḥ

Translation

Dengarlah, wahai raja, kisah lama yang berlaku—suatu keajaiban yang mulia di sana. Ada seorang lelaki berkelakuan dosa, menghidap kusta, tubuhnya kurus melidi.

Word by Word

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Imperative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• वृत्तम्: an event/occurrence
• वृत्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Sambandha (Locative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• आश्चर्यम्: a wonder
• आश्चर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्चर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; वृत्तम्-विशेषणार्थे (appositional object)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• उत्तमम्: excellent, supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (आश्चर्यम्/वृत्तम्)

• कश्चित्: a certain (man)
• कश्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite pronoun used substantively)

• पापसमाचारः: of sinful conduct
• पापसमाचारः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप-समाचार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (नरः)

• कुष्ठी: leprous
• कुष्ठी: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुष्ठिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (नरः)

• क्षामतनुः: thin-bodied, emaciated
• क्षामतनुः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षाम-तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (नरः)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) beginning an illustrative legend (deduced; addressed to 'rājan')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A kingly audience listens as a narrator introduces an ancient marvel: a leprous, emaciated man stands at the edge of a sacred locale, marked by dust, heat, and social marginality.

Characters & Entities

• King (listener)
• Leprosy (Kuṣṭha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even severe sin and suffering become the backdrop for a transformative miracle when one connects to a powerful sacred place and observance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘there’ continues the Arbuda-kṣetra/Sumaheśvara context of this chapter’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces a narrative example meant to demonstrate the efficacy of the preceding observance.