Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 111

Devanagari script

वैधव्यं मम दत्त्वा तु द्विजसर्पौ मृतावुभौ । पित्रा मात्रा महाशोकं कृत्वा मे मुण्डितं शिरः

Transliteration

vaidhavyaṃ mama dattvā tu dvijasarpau mṛtāvubhau | pitrā mātrā mahāśokaṃ kṛtvā me muṇḍitaṃ śiraḥ

Translation

ครั้นมอบความเป็นหม้ายแก่ข้าพเจ้าแล้ว ทั้งทวิชะและงูต่างก็สิ้นชีวิต จากนั้นบิดามารดาของข้าพเจ้าเศร้าโศกยิ่งนัก จึงให้โกนศีรษะของข้าพเจ้า

Word by Word

• वैधव्यम्: widowhood
• वैधव्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैधव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• मम: to me / my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त्वा (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक निपात (particle)

• द्विजसर्पौ: the Brahmin and the snake
• द्विजसर्पौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-समासभाव: ‘द्विजः सर्पः’/‘द्विजानां सर्पः’ (context: Brahmin and snake as pair)

• मृतौ: dead (both)
• मृतौ: Karta (Subject complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृ (धातु) → मृत (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; सर्वनामविशेषण

• पित्रा: by (my) father
• पित्रा: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मात्रा: by (my) mother
• मात्रा: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महाशोकम्: great grief
• महाशोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + शोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: महान् शोकः

• कृत्वा: having done / having caused
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत्वा (क्त्वान्त/अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन रूप (enclitic); अत्र षष्ठी (Genitive) ‘मे’ = मम

• मुण्डितम्: shaved
• मुण्डितम्: Karma (Result state/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुण्ड् (धातु) → मुण्डित (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; शिरः इत्यस्य विशेषण

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (same narrator to the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young widow sits in shock; parents weep and, following custom, shave her head—mourning austerity imposed amid overwhelming sorrow.

Characters & Entities

• pitṛ (father)
• mātṛ (mother)
• dvija
• sarpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sorrow and social rites follow worldly loss, yet the Māhātmya context points toward purification and spiritual redirection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpathakṣetra remains the narrative frame, where suffering becomes a doorway to tīrtha-oriented transformation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A social-ritual marker of widowhood is described: shaving of the head (muṇḍana) after bereavement.