Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 80

Devanagari script

भोभो मृग न मे भार्या त्वया दृष्टाऽत्र कानने । त्वत्समे लोचने स्पष्टे कज्जलेन समावृते

Transliteration

bhobho mṛga na me bhāryā tvayā dṛṣṭā'tra kānane | tvatsame locane spaṣṭe kajjalena samāvṛte

Translation

喂，鹿啊！你在这林中未曾见到我的妻子吗？她的眼睛如你一般清澈明亮，却又以黑色眼膏微微晕染。

Word by Word

• भोभो: hey! hey!
• भोभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भोभो (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन-निपात — vocative interjection

• मृग: O deer
• मृग: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय — negation

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular (1st person pronoun)

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular (2nd person pronoun)

• दृष्टा: seen
• दृष्टा: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘seen’ agreeing with भार्या

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय — adverb of place

• कानने: in the forest
• कानने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative singular

• त्वत्समे: like yours
• त्वत्समे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्वत्-सम (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), द्विवचन — Nom./Acc. dual; तत्पुरुष (त्वत्सम = ‘equal to you’) विशेषण (लोचने)

• लोचने: (her) two eyes
• लोचने: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), द्विवचन — Nom./Acc. dual

• स्पष्टे: clear/bright
• स्पष्टे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्पष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), द्विवचन — Nom./Acc. dual; विशेषण (लोचने)

• कज्जलेन: with collyrium/kohl
• कज्जलेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कज्जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• समावृते: covered
• समावृते: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-वृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, द्विवचन — ‘covered’ agreeing with लोचने

Speaker

A lovelorn husband/lover (narrative voice within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A deer stands alert in a forest clearing; the speaker urgently questions it about his missing wife, focusing on the deer’s clear eyes as a mirror of her kohl-lined gaze.

Characters & Entities

• mṛga (deer)
• kānana (forest)
• kajjala (collyrium)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It portrays the mind’s fixation in longing; Purāṇic narratives use such states to show how perception becomes colored by desire and memory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This single verse does not identify a tīrtha by name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.