Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

किमत्र गुप्तभावेन तिष्ठथ श्वभ्रमध्यगाः । मद्भक्तानां भयं नास्ति त्रैलोक्येपि चराचरे

Transliteration

kimatra guptabhāvena tiṣṭhatha śvabhramadhyagāḥ | madbhaktānāṃ bhayaṃ nāsti trailokyepi carācare

Translation

لِمَ تلبثون هنا في خفاء، قابعين في جوف حفرة؟ إنّ لعبّادي لا خوفَ البتّة، حتى في العوالم الثلاثة، في كل ما يتحرّك وما لا يتحرّك.

Word by Word

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय

• guptabhāvena: with a hidden state/secretly
• guptabhāvena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gupta (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गुप्तः भावः)

• tiṣṭhatha: you stand/remain
• tiṣṭhatha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• śvabhra: pit, hole
• śvabhra: Sambandha (Compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvabhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग)

• madhyagāḥ: being in the middle (of)
• madhyagāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक) + gam (गम् धातु) + kvip/ka (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (मध्य+ग ‘going/being in the middle’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संबोधित-समूहस्य विशेषणम्

• madbhaktānām: of my devotees
• madbhaktānām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम) + bhakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मम भक्ताः)

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधवाचक अव्यय (negation particle)

• asti: exists
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• trailokye: in the three worlds
• trailokye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: trailokya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भाववाचक अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• carācare: among the moving and unmoving (beings)
• carācare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cara (प्रातिपदिक) + acara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः (चरं च अचरं च)

Speaker

Devī (Jaganmātā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī addresses devas hiding in a pit, her gaze compassionate yet commanding; she gestures ‘fear not’ while the devas emerge from concealment.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Devas
• Trailokya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti brings divine protection: the devotee is assured fearlessness under the Goddess’s guardianship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting implies a mountainous/cave-like refuge in the Arbuda narrative, but no named tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it emphasizes devotional reliance (śaraṇāgati) as the core practice.