Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

यत्रयत्र महादेवस्तद्भयान्नृप गच्छति । तत्रतत्र पुनः कामं प्रपश्यति धृतायुधम्

Transliteration

yatrayatra mahādevastadbhayānnṛpa gacchati | tatratatra punaḥ kāmaṃ prapaśyati dhṛtāyudham

Translation

Tâu Đại vương, hễ Mahādeva vì sợ kẻ ấy mà đi đến nơi nào, thì ngay nơi ấy Ngài lại thấy Kāma hiện ra mãi, tay cầm vũ khí.

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• यत्र: wherever
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्ति (repetition for distributive sense)

• महादेवः: Mahādeva (Śiva)
• महादेवः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (महान् देवः)

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• भयात्: from fear
• भयात्: Apadana (Ablative: from fear)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (there)

• तत्र: in each place
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्ति (distributive: in each such place)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्तिवाचक अव्यय (again)

• कामम्: Kāma
• कामम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• प्रपश्यति: sees clearly / beholds
• प्रपश्यति: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √पश्/√दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• धृतायुधम्: holding a weapon (bow)
• धृतायुधम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of kāmam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धृत + आयुध (प्रातिपदिक; धृत = √धृ (धातु) क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धृतम् आयुधं यस्य/धृतायुधः) रूपेण विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsakhaṇḍa narrative style)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (the king) explicitly addressed

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A repeating tableau: Mahādeva strides through changing backdrops (forest, riverbank, mountain, temple-courtyard), yet Kāma appears in each scene with weapon raised—like a refrain—while the king/listener is implied as witnessing the lesson.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Kāma
• nṛpa (king/listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unmastered desire can pursue one everywhere; true victory is not mere avoidance but spiritual conquest.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; the focus is on the repeated encounter with Kāma across places.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse advances the storyline and its moral symbolism.