Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

स पाञ्चवार्षिको भूत्वा बाल एव गुणान्वितः । कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य ज्ञानी तत्र समागतः

Transliteration

sa pāñcavārṣiko bhūtvā bāla eva guṇānvitaḥ | kasyacittvatha kālasya jñānī tatra samāgataḥ

Translation

แม้เด็กนั้นมีอายุเพียงห้าปี ก็ยังประกอบด้วยคุณความดี. ครั้นล่วงกาลไปบ้าง ก็มีญาณีผู้รู้แจ้งมาถึงที่นั่น.

Word by Word

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

• पाञ्चवार्षिकः: five years old
• पाञ्चवार्षिकः: Karta (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाञ्चवार्षिक (प्रातिपदिक; पञ्च + वार्षिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (पञ्च वर्षाणि यस्य/पञ्चवर्षीय)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकाल (having become)

• बालः: a boy
• बालः: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed/only)

• गुणान्वितः: endowed with virtues
• गुणान्वितः: Karta (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुणान्वित (प्रातिपदिक; गुण + अन्वित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (गुणैः अन्वितः/गुणयुक्तः)

• कस्यचित्: of some
• कस्यचित्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम (of some)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमार्थक (then)

• कालस्य: of time
• कालस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• ज्ञानी: a knower; wise man
• ज्ञानी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञानिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (there)

• समागतः: arrived
• समागतः: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: समागत (कृदन्त; √गम् (धातु) + सम् + आ + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘आसीत्’ (लुप्त) सह

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in this excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (frame)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A five-year-old boy with luminous composure in an āśrama setting; a traveling jñānī arrives—staff, waterpot, calm gaze—creating a moment of auspicious recognition.

Characters & Entities

• jñānī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Virtue can manifest even in early life, and the arrival of a jñānī signals that dharma and destiny are about to be revealed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya), a famed sacred region associated with pilgrimage merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it sets the narrative context for later dharmic actions.