Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तेन दृष्टस्ततो दूरान्निषादात्मसमुद्भवः । विष्णोः पदं मृगं मत्वा शरं तस्य मुमोच ह

Transliteration

tena dṛṣṭastato dūrānniṣādātmasamudbhavaḥ | viṣṇoḥ padaṃ mṛgaṃ matvā śaraṃ tasya mumoca ha

Translation

ଦୂରରୁ ସେ ତାଙ୍କୁ ଦେଖିଲା—ନିଷାଦ ସ୍ୱଭାବଜ ଲୋକଟି—ବିଷ୍ଣୁଙ୍କ ପଦକୁ ମୃଗ ଭାବି ତାଙ୍କ ଉପରେ ଶର ଛାଡ଼ିଲା।

Word by Word

• तेन: by him/thereby
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• दृष्टः: seen
• दृष्टः: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• ततः: then, from there
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रम (from there/then)

• दूरात्: from afar
• दूरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत्; पञ्चमी-अर्थे अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• निषादात्मसमुद्भवः: one born of a Niṣāda (hunter)
• निषादात्मसमुद्भवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निषाद (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भव (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √भू + सम्+उद्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (निषादात्मनः समुद्भवः = born of a Niṣāda)

• विष्णोः: of Vishnu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• पदम्: foot
• पदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• मृगम्: a deer
• मृगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• मत्वा: thinking (it to be)
• मत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund); ‘having thought/considered’

• शरम्: an arrow
• शरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• मुमोच: released, shot
• मुमोच: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ह: indeed
• ह: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पदपूरण/निश्चयार्थक (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet; continuing narrator.

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From a distance, Jarā sights a form partly concealed; seeing only the foot, he imagines a deer and releases an arrow across the coastal air toward the resting Lord.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Jarā (implied)
• Niṣāda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ignorance can cause grave harm, yet Purāṇic tradition frames even such moments within divine līlā and cosmic completion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, the setting of the famed Jarā-and-arrow episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the mistaken act of shooting the arrow.