Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

कस्मान्मे सुतमालोक्य स्मितं विप्र कृतं त्वया । तत्र मे कारणं ब्रह्मन्यथावद्वक्तुमर्हसि

Transliteration

kasmānme sutamālokya smitaṃ vipra kṛtaṃ tvayā | tatra me kāraṇaṃ brahmanyathāvadvaktumarhasi

Translation

“เหตุไฉนท่านพราหมณ์ (วิปร) จึงยิ้มเมื่อทอดพระเนตรบุตรของข้า? โอ้พราหมณ์ผู้ศักดิ์สิทธิ์ โปรดกล่าวเหตุอันแท้จริงแก่ข้า ตามที่เป็นอยู่เถิด”

Word by Word

• कस्मात्: from what cause/why
• कस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• मे: my/of me
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (Genitive/Dative), एकवचन; अत्र षष्ठी—‘मम’

• सुतम्: son
• सुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आलोक्य: having looked at/seeing
• आलोक्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + लोक् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having seen’

• स्मितम्: a smile
• स्मितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र कर्मरूपेण—‘smile’

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• कृतम्: made
• कृतम्: Karma (Predicate to smitam)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘done/made’

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• तत्र: there/in that matter
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• मे: my/of me
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• कारणम्: reason
• कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मन्: O brahman
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• यथावत्: properly/as it is
• यथावत्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (manner adverb)

• वक्तुम्: to tell
• वक्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (Infinitive), ‘to speak’

• अर्हसि: you ought/are fit
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

The boy’s father (a ṛṣi/muni figure in the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (frame)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The father addresses the brāhmaṇa with respectful urgency, asking why he smiled at the sight of the child; the scene is still, charged with expectation of prophecy.

Characters & Entities

• vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• father
• son

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma encourages respectful questioning and a commitment to truth—asking the wise to speak plainly for one’s welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, the sacred setting where such instructive dialogues unfold.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the request for truthful explanation prepares the ground for subsequent religious action.