Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

बंधकुष्ठादिकं दुःखं ये भजंत्यल्पबुद्धयः । तत्र ते नैव जानंति वैद्यं नागरभास्करम्

Transliteration

baṃdhakuṣṭhādikaṃ duḥkhaṃ ye bhajaṃtyalpabuddhayaḥ | tatra te naiva jānaṃti vaidyaṃ nāgarabhāskaram

Translation

ผู้มีปัญญาน้อยที่ทนทุกข์จากพันธนาการ โรคเรื้อน และความทุกข์อื่น ๆ ย่อมไม่รู้จักในสภาพนั้นเองว่า แพทย์แท้คือ นาคารภาสกระ ผู้รักษาได้

Word by Word

• बंधकुष्ठादिकम्: such as bondage, leprosy, etc.
• बंधकुष्ठादिकम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of duḥkham)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बंध (प्रातिपदिक) + कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + क (तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (बंधकुष्ठादि-सम्बन्धि = such as bondage, leprosy, etc.)

• दुःखम्: suffering
• दुःखम्: Karma (Object of bhajanti)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; सम्बन्धबोधक (those who)

• भजन्ति: experience/undergo
• भजन्ति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भज् (धातु) + लट्
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/present); प्रथमपुरुषः बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• अल्पबुद्धयः: the dull-witted
• अल्पबुद्धयः: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ye)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक) + बुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (अल्पा बुद्धिर्येषां ते = of little understanding)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Adverbial location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (there/in that matter)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनम्

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• जानन्ति: know
• जानन्ति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + लट्
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/present); प्रथमपुरुषः बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• वैद्यम्: the physician
• वैद्यम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; कर्म (object of knowing)

• नागरभास्करम्: Nāgarabhāskara
• नागरभास्करम्: Karma (Appositional object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नागर (प्रातिपदिक) + भास्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः; वैद्यम् इति विशेष्य (apposition)

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgarabhāskara at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A suffering group—one bound in chains, another with skin disease—sits in shadow while the radiant Nāgarabhāskara stands nearby like a divine physician holding a lotus and arghya vessel; rays touch the afflicted, hinting cure through recognition.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāskara
• Sūrya
• Nāgara-Bhāskara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Suffering persists when one fails to recognize the divine remedy—turning to Sūrya (Bhāskara) with faith is portrayed as true healing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), where Nāgara-Bhāskara/Sūrya is praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse sets up Sūrya as the healer to be known and approached through devotion and worship.