Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

मूलं सुराणां हि किल ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः । तेन संस्थापितं यस्मान्मूल स्थानमिति स्मृतम्

Transliteration

mūlaṃ surāṇāṃ hi kila brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ | tena saṃsthāpitaṃ yasmānmūla sthānamiti smṛtam

Translation

إن براهما، جدُّ العوالم (بيتامها)، يُقال إنه أصلُ الآلهة وجذرُهم. ولأنه هو الذي أسّسه، ذُكر باسم «مولَسْثانا»، أي مقام الجذر والأصل.

Word by Word

• मूलम्: root; origin
• मूलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• सुराणाम्: of the gods
• सुराणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/बलार्थ

• किल: it is said; indeed
• किल: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), प्रसिद्ध्यर्थ/श्रुत्यर्थ

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• लोकपितामहः: grandfather of the worlds
• लोकपितामहः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक) + पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लोकस्य पितामहः)

• तेन: by him; by that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• संस्थापितम्: established; founded
• संस्थापितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यस्मात्: from which; because of which
• यस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• मूल: root; original
• मूल: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• स्थानम्: place; abode
• स्थानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक अव्यय

• स्मृतम्: is remembered; is known as
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भावे प्रयोगः (it is remembered/considered)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within Dvārakā Māhātmya; specific speaker not stated in the excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mūlasthāna

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sanctified spot marked as ‘Mūlasthāna’: Brahmā depicted as the venerable pitāmaha, with a symbolic ‘root’ motif—tree roots or a cosmic lotus-stem—indicating origin; pilgrims stand in contemplative reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Mūlasthāna
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sites preserve cosmic memory: what is founded by a creator-deity becomes a ‘root’ locus for worship and pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mūlasthāna—named so because it was established by Brahmā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it provides the theological basis for the sanctity and name of Mūlasthāna.