Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

इक्षुयष्टिमयं चापं पुष्पबाणसमन्वितम् । भृंगश्रेणिमय्या मौर्व्या शोभितं सुमनोहरम्

Transliteration

ikṣuyaṣṭimayaṃ cāpaṃ puṣpabāṇasamanvitam | bhṛṃgaśreṇimayyā maurvyā śobhitaṃ sumanoharam

Translation

Chàng mang cây cung làm bằng thân mía, đủ những mũi tên hoa, và được điểm trang bằng dây cung kết thành hàng ong—vẻ đẹp mê hồn, khó xiết.

Word by Word

• ikṣu-yaṣṭi-mayam: made of sugarcane-stalk
• ikṣu-yaṣṭi-mayam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ikṣu (प्रातिपदिक) + yaṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (इक्षुयष्ट्या मयम्/निर्मितम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with cāpam)

• cāpam: bow
• cāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neut., accusative, singular)

• puṣpa-bāṇa-samanvitam: endowed with flower-arrows
• puṣpa-bāṇa-samanvitam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṣpa (प्रातिपदिक) + bāṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पुष्पबाणैः समन्वितम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with cāpam)

• bhṛṅga-śreṇi-mayyā: made of a row of bees
• bhṛṅga-śreṇi-mayyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhṛṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṇī (प्रातिपदिक) + mayī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भृङ्गश्रेण्या मयी), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (agreeing with maurvyā)

• maurvyā: with the bowstring
• maurvyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maurvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (fem., instrumental, singular)

• śobhitam: adorned
• śobhitam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubh (धातु) → śobhita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (adorned)

• su-manoharam: very charming
• su-manoharam: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + manohara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सु + मनोहरम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda (Arbudācala)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa / mahārāja

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kāma appears in full charming regalia: sugarcane bow, flower arrows, and a bowstring made of a buzzing line of bees—an embodiment of springtime allure, yet within a Śaiva sacred narrative frame.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse preserves sacred iconography: desire is portrayed through beauty and attraction, yet remains within the governance of divine order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, the Arbuda-Kāmeśvara context is upheld; the verse itself is primarily descriptive of Kāma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is an iconographic description (dhyāna-style imagery).