Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

मार्गे गजाश्वसंबाधे त्रस्ता सा उष्ट्रदर्शनात् । हस्तादाच्छिद्य सा धेनुर्ब्राह्मणस्य ययौ तदा

Transliteration

mārge gajāśvasaṃbādhe trastā sā uṣṭradarśanāt | hastādācchidya sā dhenurbrāhmaṇasya yayau tadā

Translation

ระหว่างทางที่แน่นขนัดด้วยช้างและม้า นางตกใจเมื่อเห็นอูฐ จึงสะบัดหลุดจากมือพราหมณ์ แล้วโคนั้นก็วิ่งหนีไปทันที

Word by Word

• मार्गे: on the road
• मार्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• गजाश्वसंबाधे: in the crowding of elephants and horses
• गजाश्वसंबाधे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज (प्रातिपदिक) + अश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + संबाध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः (गजैः अश्वैः च संबाधः यस्मिन्) — तत्पुरुष/बहुव्रीहि-प्रायः; here used as locative qualifier of मार्गे

• त्रस्ता: frightened
• त्रस्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रस् (धातु) + त (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (frightened)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• उष्ट्रदर्शनात्: from seeing a camel
• उष्ट्रदर्शनात्: Apadana/Hetu (Cause/Reason)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (उष्ट्रस्य दर्शनम्)

• हस्तात्: from (his) hand
• हस्तात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• आच्छिद्य: having snatched away
• आच्छिद्य: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Absolutive/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + छिद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund); ‘having snatched/cut off’

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• धेनुः: the cow
• धेनुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ब्राह्मणस्य: of the Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual attribution within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic street scene: elephants and horses crowd the road; a camel appears; the cow startles, jerks free from the brāhmaṇa’s hand, and bolts away, rope trailing.

Characters & Entities

• dhenu (cow)
• brāhmaṇa
• gaja (elephants)
• aśva (horses)
• uṣṭra (camel)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even righteous acts face unforeseen disruptions; steadiness and responsible response are part of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative unfolds in the Dvārakā Māhātmya milieu; the verse itself emphasizes the lived reality around sacred places—roads, travel, and protection.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative turning point concerning the gifted cow.