Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु स राजा हरिवत्सलः । निमील्य लोचने स्वीये समाधिस्थो बभूव ह

Transliteration

etasminneva kāle tu sa rājā harivatsalaḥ | nimīlya locane svīye samādhistho babhūva ha

Translation

ਉਸੇ ਵੇਲੇ ਉਹ ਰਾਜਾ, ਜੋ ਹਰਿ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਿਯ ਸੀ, ਆਪਣੀਆਂ ਅੱਖਾਂ ਮੂੰਦ ਕੇ ਸਮਾਧੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੀਨ ਹੋ ਗਿਆ।

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: at this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/Locative); एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• काले: time
• काले: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• तु: but/and
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वय (concessive/contrastive particle)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• हरिवत्सलः: devoted to Hari
• हरिवत्सलः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हरि + वत्सल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (हरेः वत्सलः = devoted to Hari); विशेषण (qualifying ‘राजा’)

• निमील्य: having closed
• निमील्य: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मील् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive) with उपसर्ग नि-; पूर्वकाले कृतक्रिया

• लोचने: (his) two eyes
• लोचने: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative); द्विवचन

• स्वीये: his own
• स्वीये: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया; द्विवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘लोचने’)

• समाधिस्थः: situated in samādhi
• समाधिस्थः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समाधि + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (समाधौ स्थितः); विशेषण

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् लकार (Perfect); प्रथमा पुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ह: indeed (particle)
• ह: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पदपूरण/निपात (expletive particle)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual; speaker not explicitly marked in the verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king sits immovable in meditation amid storm-darkness, eyes gently closed, posture steady; the world outside is obscured, but his inner focus is luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Samādhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In danger, the devotee turns inward to the Lord through samādhi rather than reacting with fear or violence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse itself does not name a tīrtha; it highlights the king’s devotional practice within the Arbuda-khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Meditative absorption (samādhi/dhyāna) is exemplified, though not framed as a formal ritual injunction.