Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

वेपमाना भयोद्विग्ना शोकसागरमध्यगा । करिणीव हि रौद्रेण हरिणा सा बलीयसा । ततः स्वगोकुलं प्राप्ता रभमाणा मुहुर्मुहुः

Transliteration

vepamānā bhayodvignā śokasāgaramadhyagā | kariṇīva hi raudreṇa hariṇā sā balīyasā | tataḥ svagokulaṃ prāptā rabhamāṇā muhurmuhuḥ

Translation

ସେ କମ୍ପିତ, ଭୟରେ ଉଦ୍ବିଗ୍ନ, ଯେନ ଶୋକସାଗର ମଧ୍ୟରେ ପତିତ—ବଳବାନ ରୌଦ୍ର ସିଂହ ତାଡ଼ିଥିବା କରିଣୀ ପରି—ତାପରେ ନିଜ ଗୋକୁଳକୁ ପହଞ୍ଚି ମୁହୁର୍ମୁହୁଃ ରମ୍ଭା କଲା।

Word by Word

• vepamānā: trembling
• vepamānā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vep (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (कर्तरि), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Present participle, Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• bhaya-udvignā: agitated by fear
• bhaya-udvignā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + udvigna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (भयेन उद्विग्ना)

• śoka-sāgara-madhyagā: gone into the midst of an ocean of grief
• śoka-sāgara-madhyagā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śoka (प्रातिपदिक) + sāgara (प्रातिपदिक) + madhya (प्रातिपदिक) + ga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (शोकसागरस्य मध्ये गता)

• kariṇī: a female elephant
• kariṇī: Upamāna (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kariṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• iva: like
• iva: Upamā-dyotaka (Comparator/उपमाद्योतक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक-अव्यय — Comparative particle ‘like/as’

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (हेतौ/खलु-अर्थे) — Particle ‘indeed/for’

• raudreṇa: fierce
• raudreṇa: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Singular; विशेषणम् (हरिणा)

• hariṇā: by a deer/antelope
• hariṇā: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hariṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Pronoun, Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• balīyasā: stronger
• balīyasā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: balīyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Singular; तुलनात्मक (comparative) ‘stronger’; (हरिणा) विशेषणम्

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तस्मात्/ततः-शब्दः — Adverb ‘then/from there’

• sva-gokulam: her own Gokula
• sva-gokulam: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + gokula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; कर्मधारय (स्वं गो-कुलम्)

• prāptā: having reached
• prāptā: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√āp (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (भूतकृदन्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Past participle, Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• rabhamāṇā: crying out (lowing)
• rabhamāṇā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √rabh (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (कर्तरि), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Present participle, Feminine, Nominative, Singular; ‘crying out/lowing’

• muhur: repeatedly
• muhur: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: muhur (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक — Adverb ‘again and again’

• muhuḥ: again and again
• muhuḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: muhuḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरुक्ति (मuhur muhuḥ) — Adverb (reduplicated) ‘again and again’

Speaker

Pulastya (narration continues)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gokula (arrival)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kapilā trembles and rushes home, repeatedly lowing; metaphorical overlay of a lion pursuing a she-elephant conveys overpowering threat and panic.

Characters & Entities

• Kapilā
• Gokula

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma does not remove fear, but it gives direction—one proceeds rightly even while trembling.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports Arbuda’s sacred storytelling milieu rather than praising a named tīrtha directly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is descriptive, intensifying the emotional and ethical stakes of the narrative.