Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 191

Devanagari script

स गत्वा मरुभूमिं तु म्लेच्छमध्ये ददर्श ह । कुष्ठरोगेण महता क्षयेण च समावृतम्

Transliteration

sa gatvā marubhūmiṃ tu mlecchamadhye dadarśa ha | kuṣṭharogeṇa mahatā kṣayeṇa ca samāvṛtam

Translation

Đến chốn sa mạc, nhà vua thấy (phụ vương) ở giữa bọn Mleccha—bị bao phủ bởi bệnh cùi nặng và cả chứng hao mòn tàn tạ.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• मरुभूमिम्: desert land
• मरुभूमिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरु-भूमि (प्रातिपदिक; components: मरु + भूमि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

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

• म्लेच्छमध्ये: in the midst of mlecchas
• म्लेच्छमध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: म्लेच्छ-मध्य (प्रातिपदिक; components: म्लेच्छ + मध्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ह: indeed/then
• ह: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; narrative emphasis)

• कुष्ठरोगेण: by leprosy-disease
• कुष्ठरोगेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुष्ठ-रोग (प्रातिपदिक; components: कुष्ठ + रोग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• महता: great, severe
• महता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying कुष्ठरोगेण)

• क्षयेण: by wasting/consumption
• क्षयेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• समावृतम्: covered/overwhelmed
• समावृतम्: Karma (Object state/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-वृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘covered/overwhelmed’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Marubhūmi (narrative locale; not a named tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi-assembly (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king arrives at a harsh desert edge and beholds his father among foreign tribes, body marked by severe leprosy and wasting; the horizon is empty and wind-swept.

Characters & Entities

• marubhūmi (desert)
• Mleccha
• kuṣṭharoga (leprosy)
• kṣaya (wasting disease)
• pitṛ (father)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Seeing suffering directly awakens compassion and strengthens resolve to pursue dharma for another’s liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; this verse provides the narrative crisis that leads to pilgrimage and sacred-place remedies.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it describes the condition that prompts the forthcoming action.