Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

ऋषभ उवाच । अकस्मात्किमहो वत्से रोरवीषि विमूढधीः । को जातः कतमो लोके को मृतो वद सांप्रतम्

Transliteration

ṛṣabha uvāca | akasmātkimaho vatse roravīṣi vimūḍhadhīḥ | ko jātaḥ katamo loke ko mṛto vada sāṃpratam

Translation

梨沙婆说：“孩子啊，你为何忽然这般号哭，心智迷乱？谁出生了？这世间是谁——又是谁死了？现在告诉我。”

Word by Word

• ṛṣabhaḥ: Ṛṣabha
• ṛṣabhaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣabha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• akasmāt: suddenly
• akasmāt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: akasmāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘suddenly/without cause’

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (Object of implied ‘is’/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्न-सर्वनाम (here exclamatory ‘what!’)

• aho: alas! / oh!
• aho: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aho (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मय/खेद-निपात (exclamatory particle)

• vatse: O dear one
• vatse: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vatsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (voc. sg.); स्नेहसम्बोधन

• roravīṣi: you wail/cry loudly
• roravīṣi: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ru (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातोः ‘रोरवीति’ इत्यादि देशीय/वेदिक-प्रयोगः (to wail/cry)

• vimūḍha-dhīḥ: (you) of bewildered mind
• vimūḍha-dhīḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-mūḍha (कृदन्त; मुह्-धातु) + dhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय: विमूढा धीः यस्याः सा; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nom. sg.)

• kaḥ: who
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्न-सर्वनाम (nom. sg.)

• jātaḥ: born
• jātaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘born’

• katamaḥ: which one (of many)
• katamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: katama (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्न-विशेष (which one among many)

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (loc. sg.)

• kaḥ: who
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; प्रश्न-सर्वनाम (nom. sg.)

• mṛtaḥ: dead
• mṛtaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘dead’

• vada: tell
• vada: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (imperative)

• sāṃpratam: now, at present
• sāṃpratam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃprata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Ṛṣabha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ṛṣabha stands or sits near the grieving woman, his hand raised in gentle instruction; his face is calm, hers tearful; the moment captures the turning of grief into inquiry.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣabha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It challenges identification with the body and invites inquiry into the self beyond birth and death.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None; the verse is philosophical instruction within the narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an exhortation toward discernment (viveka).