Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

कृशोतीव गलत्कुष्ठी प्रमुह्यंश्च पदेपेद । नंदभद्रमुवाचेदं कृच्छ्रात्संस्तभ्य बालकः

Transliteration

kṛśotīva galatkuṣṭhī pramuhyaṃśca padepeda | naṃdabhadramuvācedaṃ kṛcchrātsaṃstabhya bālakaḥ

Translation

那孩子极其消瘦，麻风溃烂流脓，步步昏厥欲倒；他艰难支撑住身子，对难陀跋陀罗说出这些话。

Word by Word

• कृशः: emaciated
• कृशः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘बालकः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• उत: and/also
• उत: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (and/also)

• इव: as if
• इव: Adverbial (उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमार्थक अव्यय (comparative particle)

• गलत्कुष्ठी: a leper with oozing/peeling (skin)
• गलत्कुष्ठी: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गलत्-कुष्ठिन् (प्रातिपदिक; गलत् (कृदन्त) + कुष्ठिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘कुष्ठी’ = कुष्ठरोगयुक्तः; ‘गलत्’ = स्रवन्/पतन् (oozing/falling off)

• प्रमुह्यन्: fainting
• प्रमुह्यन्: Karta (Agent-participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र√मुह् (धातु: मुह्) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि—‘fainting’

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• पदे: at the step/foot
• पदे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘at (his) step/footing’

• पेद: staggered/fell
• पेद: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पद्/पद् (धातु; अनिश्चित-पाठ)
• Form: लिट्/लुङ्-रूपसदृशं, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; पाठभेद/दुर्लभ-रूप—अर्थतः ‘पतितवान्/चचाल’ (staggered/fell)

• नन्दभद्रम्: Nandabhadra (as object)
• नन्दभद्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दभद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्√ (धातु: वच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; वाक्यवस्तु (this [speech])

• कृच्छ्रात्: with difficulty/from distress
• कृच्छ्रात्: Apādāna (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; ‘with difficulty/from distress’

• संस्तभ्य: having steadied (himself)
• संस्तभ्य: Purvakāla-kriyā (Absolutive/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्+स्तभ् (धातु: स्तभ्) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त अव्ययीभाव-प्राय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having steadied/supported (himself)’

• बालकः: the boy
• बालकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (introducing the boy’s approach)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bahūka-taṭa

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A frail child with visible skin disease and extreme thinness staggers, nearly collapsing at each step; he braces himself and addresses Nandabhadra, who watches with shock and compassion.

Characters & Entities

• Nandabhadra
• bāla (boy)
• kuṣṭha (leprosy)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives often invert expectations: the visibly afflicted may become the bearer of higher counsel.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate setting continues from Bahūka-taṭa; no additional tīrtha is named here.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is descriptive narrative preparing for instruction.