Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

गुरवे दक्षिणां दत्त्वा ततः सा च मृगानना । भोजराजाय सर्व च चरित्रं पूर्वजन्मनः

Transliteration

gurave dakṣiṇāṃ dattvā tataḥ sā ca mṛgānanā | bhojarājāya sarva ca caritraṃ pūrvajanmanaḥ

Translation

ครั้นถวายทักษิณาแด่พระอาจารย์แล้ว นางผู้มีพักตร์ดุจเนื้อ (อ่อนโยน) จึงเล่าเรื่องราวทั้งหมดแห่งชาติปางก่อนของตนแก่พระเจ้าภชราชา

Word by Word

• गुरवे: to the teacher
• गुरवे: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः (dative), एकवचनम्

• दक्षिणाम्: fee; honorarium (dakṣiṇā)
• दक्षिणाम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गम् (feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम्

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having given)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्, क्रमवाचकः (then)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (nominative), एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• मृगानना: the doe-faced woman (epithet)
• मृगानना: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (nominative), एकवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः—‘मृगस्य आननं यस्याः सा’

• भोजराजाय: to King Bhoja
• भोजराजाय: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजराज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः (dative), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः—‘भोजः (नाम) + राजा’

• सर्वम्: all (of it)
• सर्वम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• चरित्रम्: account; story
• चरित्रम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम्

• पूर्वजन्मनः: of the former birth
• पूर्वजन्मनः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व + जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (genitive), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis at Naimiṣāraṇya (standard frame, implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gentle-featured woman offers dakṣiṇā to a seated guru; nearby, King Bhoja listens attentively as she begins recounting her former-birth story in a sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• guru (preceptor)
• dakṣiṇā
• Bhojarāja (King Bhoja)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gratitude and dharma are completed by dakṣiṇā to the guru, and truthfully recounting one’s karmic story supports moral clarity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpathakṣetra in Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa, where rites culminate in restored consciousness and karmic disclosure.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Giving dakṣiṇā to the guru after the rite; the verse also implies post-ritual testimony of the experience.