Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

अथोपरिचरस्तत्र क्लिश्यमानान्हि तानृषीन् । दृष्ट्वा राजा वृषादर्भिः प्रोवाचेदं वचस्तदा

Transliteration

athoparicarastatra kliśyamānānhi tānṛṣīn | dṛṣṭvā rājā vṛṣādarbhiḥ provācedaṃ vacastadā

Translation

ครั้งนั้นพระเจ้าอุปริจระ ครั้นทอดพระเนตรเห็นเหล่าฤๅษีที่นั่นกำลังทนทุกข์จริง จึงทรงยืนพร้อมด้วยวฤษะ-ทรภะ (โคและหญ้าทรภะเป็นเครื่องหมายพิธี) แล้วตรัสถ้อยคำนี้ในกาลนั้น

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक

• उपरिचरः: Uparicara (a king)
• उपरिचरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपरिचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषनाम

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• क्लिश्यमानान्: suffering; being afflicted
• क्लिश्यमानान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्लिश् (धातु) + शानच् (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present participle, आत्मनेपदभाव), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषण (तान् ऋषीन्)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• तान्: those
• तान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• ऋषीन्: sages
• ऋषीन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त्वा
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having seen’

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• वृषादर्भिः: with bulls and darbha-grass (as means/offerings)
• वृषादर्भिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष + दर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (वृषाश्च दर्भाश्च)

• प्रोवाच: said; spoke forth
• प्रोवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र- वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वचः: speech; words
• वचः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक

Speaker

Narrator (describing King Uparicara’s action); the next verses would contain Uparicara’s direct speech

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsakṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king approaches a group of austerity-worn sages in a sacred coastal grove of Prabhāsa; the sages appear fatigued, seated on kuśa/darbha mats; the king stands respectfully holding ritual tokens (darbha, possibly a bull emblem/vr̥ṣa sign) as he begins to speak.

Characters & Entities

• Uparicara (king)
• ṛṣis (sages)
• darbha grass

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rāja-dharma is shown as protection and support of sages and dharma during calamity, not mere rule in prosperity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting remains Prabhāsa Kṣetra within the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription, but the mention of darbha suggests a ritual-ethical context (purity, Vedic propriety) framing the king’s intervention.