Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

चीचीकूचीत्यवाशंत सारिका वृष्णिवेश्मसु । नोपशाम्यति शब्दश्च स दिवारात्रमेव वा

Transliteration

cīcīkūcītyavāśaṃta sārikā vṛṣṇiveśmasu | nopaśāmyati śabdaśca sa divārātrameva vā

Translation

ବୃଷ୍ଣିମାନଙ୍କ ଗୃହରେ ସାରିକା ପକ୍ଷୀ “ଚୀଚୀକୂଚୀ” ବୋଲି ଅବିରତ ଡାକୁଥିଲେ; ସେ ଶବ୍ଦ ଦିନରାତି ଶାନ୍ତ ହେଲା ନାହିଁ।

Word by Word

• चीचीकूची: ‘cīcīkūcī’ (chirping sound)
• चीचीकूची: Sambandha (Sound-imitative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चीचीकूची (अनुकरणशब्द/अव्यय)
• Form: अनुकरण (onomatopoeic), अव्यय

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• अवाशन्त: they cried out, they made noise
• अवाशन्त: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + वश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्; धातु: वश् (‘शब्दं कर्तुं/रवितुं’), उपसर्ग: आ

• सारिकाः: mynah birds
• सारिकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• वृष्णिवेश्मसु: in the houses of the Vṛṣṇis
• वृष्णिवेश्मसु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष्णि + वेश्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; समास: वृष्णीनां वेश्मसु (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• उपशाम्यति: subsides, becomes quiet
• उपशाम्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + शम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; धातु: शम्, उपसर्ग: उप

• शब्दः: sound, noise
• शब्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• सः: that (sound), it
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दिवारात्रम्: day and night
• दिवारात्रम्: Kriya-visheshana (Duration/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिवा + रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समास: दिवा च रात्रिश्च (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व), अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (accusative of duration)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-निपात (disjunctive particle)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator in Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya; traditionally Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside Vṛṣṇi households at Prabhāsa, mynas repeatedly cry an uncanny refrain without pause, day and night; people look uneasy as the sound hangs in the air like a warning.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛṣṇi
• sārikā (myna bird)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Persistent ominous sounds symbolize unavoidable karmic turning points; the Purāṇa encourages turning to dharma and sacred remembrance before calamity ripens.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, within whose tīrtha-māhātmya these portents are narrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an auditory omen described as unceasing.