Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

न तथा स्त्रीषु नो भोगे नाश्वयाने न वारणे । तस्याभूदनुरागश्च यथा मृगविमर्द्दने

Transliteration

na tathā strīṣu no bhoge nāśvayāne na vāraṇe | tasyābhūdanurāgaśca yathā mṛgavimarddane

Translation

ਉਸ ਦਾ ਲਗਾਵ ਨਾ ਇਸਤ੍ਰੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਸੀ, ਨਾ ਭੋਗ-ਵਿਲਾਸ ਨਾਲ; ਨਾ ਘੋੜਿਆਂ ਤੇ ਰਥਾਂ ਨਾਲ, ਨਾ ਹਾਥੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ। ਜਿਵੇਂ ਉਸ ਦੀ ਆਸਕਤੀ ਸ਼ਿਕਾਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਮ੍ਰਿਗਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਕੁਚਲਣ ਵਿੱਚ ਸੀ, ਓਹੋ ਜਿਹਾ ਹੀ ਉਸ ਦਾ ਰਾਗ ਸੀ।

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (particle of negation)

• तथा: so much
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: so/that much)

• स्त्रीषु: in women
• स्त्रीषु: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); बहुवचन

• नो: nor
• नो: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (enclitic negation 'nor')

• भोगे: in enjoyment
• भोगे: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• अश्वयाने: in a horse-carriage
• अश्वयाने: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वयान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन; समासः—अश्वस्य यानम् (horse-vehicle)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• वारणे: on an elephant
• वारणे: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन; वारण = गज (elephant)

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

• अभूत्: there was
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अनुरागः: attachment/passion
• अनुरागः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुराग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (Nominative); एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• यथा: as
• यथा: Kriya-visheshana (Comparative/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकार (as/just as)

• मृगविमर्दने: in the tormenting of animals
• मृगविमर्दने: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग + विमर्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन; समासः—मृगाणां विमर्दनम् (crushing/harassing of animals)

Speaker

Paulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Royal interlocutor (implied by संबोधन)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A psychological portrait: the king is indifferent to typical royal pleasures, yet intensely attached to the violence of the hunt—an inversion of expected ‘renunciation’.

Characters & Entities

• Suprabha (king)
• horses
• elephants
• deer (mṛga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Attachment can shift from sensual luxury to violence; Purāṇic dharma critiques any passion that harms beings and clouds discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Kapilā Tīrtha, since the story is being built to show the transformative power of the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse diagnoses the king’s dominant attachment.