Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

हा प्रिये मृगशावाक्षि मम प्राणविनाशिनि । मां मुक्त्वाऽद्य प्रियं कांतं क्व गतासि शुभानने

Transliteration

hā priye mṛgaśāvākṣi mama prāṇavināśini | māṃ muktvā'dya priyaṃ kāṃtaṃ kva gatāsi śubhānane

Translation

“โอ้ที่รัก ผู้มีดวงตาดุจลูกกวาง ผู้พรากลมหายใจของข้า! วันนี้ละทิ้งข้า ผู้เป็นสามีอันเป็นที่รักของเจ้า แล้วเจ้าไป ณ ที่ใด โอ้ผู้มีพักตร์เป็นมงคล?”

Word by Word

• हा: alas!
• हा: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मय/शोकसूचक उद्गार (interjection)

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• मृग-शाव-अक्षि: O fawn-eyed one
• मृग-शाव-अक्षि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक) + शाव (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपमान/षष्ठीभाव: ‘fawn-like eyes’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• प्राण-विनाशिनि: O destroyer of my life
• प्राण-विनाशिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + विनाशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/षष्ठीभाव: ‘destroyer of (my) life-breaths’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मुक्त्वा: having left
• मुक्त्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• प्रियम्: beloved
• प्रियम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘कान्तम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• कान्तम्: husband/lover
• कान्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• क्व: where?
• क्व: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative adverb of place)

• गता: gone
• गता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘असि’ इत्यनेन सह परिप्रयोग

• असि: are
• असि: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present); परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• शुभ-आनने: O fair-faced one
• शुभ-आनने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक) + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘beautiful-faced’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Anarta-adhipati (the king; husband of Damayantī, lamenting)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king, now upright, cries out with arms extended into empty space, calling his beloved by endearing epithets; attendants stand back, stunned.

Characters & Entities

• Damayantī
• Anarta (kingdom/region)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Attachment and separation can overwhelm even a ruler; the Purāṇic frame urges steadiness and dharmic endurance amid grief.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader chapter belongs to the Śrīhāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa (tīrtha-glorification context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a lament within the kṣetra-māhātmya narrative.