Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

किं कुर्मो ब्रूहि तेऽभीष्टं यद्यपि स्यात्सुदुर्लभम्

Transliteration

kiṃ kurmo brūhi te'bhīṣṭaṃ yadyapi syātsudurlabham

Translation

“Chúng tôi phải làm gì? Xin hãy nói điều ngài ước nguyện—dẫu cho điều ấy cực kỳ khó đạt được.”

Word by Word

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• कुर्मः: shall we do/do we do
• कुर्मः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ब्रूहि: tell (me/us)
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• अभीष्टम्: desired (thing)
• अभीष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभीष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यद्यपि: even if
• यद्यपि: Sambandha (Clause connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्त/अपवादबोधक (concessive: even if)

• स्यात्: may be/should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• सुदुर्लभम्: very difficult to obtain
• सुदुर्लभम्: Karma-visheshana (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुदुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक) = सु + दुर्लभ
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'अभीष्टम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्; कर्मधारय-स्वरूप (intensified: very hard-to-obtain)

Speaker

Devas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of devotees or sages, hands folded, respectfully asking a revered ṛṣi what service or boon he desires, with Prabhāsa’s coastal sacred landscape hinted in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Agastya (implied addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Righteous service invites grace; divine powers support those who uphold dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra by narrative context, where the deed prompting this boon-offer occurred.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a boon-offer statement rather than a ritual instruction.