Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

अहो बतातिमूढोहमिति मध्ये वनं नृपः । उर्वशी न मया लब्धा वह्निस्थाल्या तु किं फलम्

Transliteration

aho batātimūḍhohamiti madhye vanaṃ nṛpaḥ | urvaśī na mayā labdhā vahnisthālyā tu kiṃ phalam

Translation

กลางพงไพร พระราชาคร่ำครวญว่า “อนิจจา เราช่างหลงเขลาอย่างยิ่ง! มิได้อุรวศีมา—แล้วภาชนะไฟนี้จะมีประโยชน์อันใดเล่า”

Word by Word

• अहो: alas!/oh!
• अहो: Bhava-prakasha (Exclamation/भावप्रकाश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मयादिबोधक अव्यय (interjection)

• बत: indeed/surely
• बत: Bhava-prakasha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बत (अव्यय)
• Form: अनुशोचन/निश्चयादिबोधक निपात (particle)

• अति: very/excessively
• अति: Upapada-modifier (Intensifier/उपपद)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय; तीव्रताबोधक (intensifier)

• मूढः: deluded
• मूढः: Visheshya-predicative (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• इति: thus
• इति: Vacana-parisamapti (Quotation marker/इत्यर्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणार्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वनम्: the forest
• वनम्: Karma (Goal/object with motion/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• नृपः: the king
• नृपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उर्वशी: Urvaśī
• उर्वशी: Karma (Object intended/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उर्वशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• लब्धा: obtained
• लब्धा: Kriya (Predicate in passive/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; (उर्वशी) लब्धा = obtained

• वह्निस्थाल्या: by/with the fire-pan
• वह्निस्थाल्या: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि + स्थाली (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वह्नेः स्थाली = fire-pan)

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha-bheda (Contrast/विरोध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक (interrogative)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject of nominal sentence/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

King (lament, reported by Narrator)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king alone in a forest, holding or looking at the fire-vessel, lamenting his delusion and questioning its value without Urvaśī.

Characters & Entities

• Urvāśī
• Agnisthālī
• King (unnamed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Impatience and attachment can cause one to despise the very means of attainment; faith in right practice is essential.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative remains within Setukhaṇḍa’s sacred setting; this verse focuses on inner confusion rather than a tīrtha description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the king should preserve and use the agnisthālī for yajña; instead he doubts its fruit.