Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

किं कुर्मो ब्रूहि तेऽभीष्टं यद्यपि स्यात्सुदुर्लभम्

Transliteration

kiṃ kurmo brūhi te'bhīṣṭaṃ yadyapi syātsudurlabham

Translation

เราควรทำสิ่งใด? โปรดบอกความปรารถนาของท่าน—แม้จะยากยิ่งที่จะได้มาก็ตาม

Word by Word

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• कुर्मः: shall we do/do we do
• कुर्मः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ब्रूहि: tell (me/us)
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• अभीष्टम्: desired (thing)
• अभीष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभीष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यद्यपि: even if
• यद्यपि: Sambandha (Clause connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्त/अपवादबोधक (concessive: even if)

• स्यात्: may be/should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• सुदुर्लभम्: very difficult to obtain
• सुदुर्लभम्: Karma-visheshana (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुदुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक) = सु + दुर्लभ
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'अभीष्टम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; कर्मधारय-स्वरूप (intensified: very hard-to-obtain)

Speaker

Devas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of devotees or sages, hands folded, respectfully asking a revered ṛṣi what service or boon he desires, with Prabhāsa’s coastal sacred landscape hinted in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Agastya (implied addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Righteous service invites grace; divine powers support those who uphold dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra by narrative context, where the deed prompting this boon-offer occurred.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a boon-offer statement rather than a ritual instruction.