Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

पुरा देवेन कथितं शृणु पात्रं वदाम्यहम् । प्रिया भागवता येषां तेषां दासोऽस्म्यहं सदा

Transliteration

purā devena kathitaṃ śṛṇu pātraṃ vadāmyaham | priyā bhāgavatā yeṣāṃ teṣāṃ dāso'smyahaṃ sadā

Translation

اسمعوا ما قاله الربّ قديمًا؛ سأبيّن لكم مَن هو الوعاءُ الحقّ المستحقّ. الذين تكون محبّةُ عُبّادِ بهاگَفان عزيزةً عليهم—فأنا لهم خادمٌ على الدوام.

Word by Word

• purā: formerly; earlier
• purā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• devena: by the god
• devena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• kathitam: told; narrated
• kathitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kathita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kath (धातु) ‘to tell’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• pātram: the worthy recipient; proper person
• pātram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vadāmi: I tell; I speak
• vadāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aham (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• priyāḥ: dear; beloved
• priyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• bhāgavatāḥ: Bhāgavatas; devotees
• bhāgavatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāgavata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• yeṣām: of whom
• yeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; तद्-प्रत्यय (correlative)

• dāsaḥ: servant
• dāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• asmi: am
• asmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aham (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: नित्यत्ववाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Viṣṇu (deduced from first-person and Dvārakā Māhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble speaker repeats the Lord’s earlier declaration; he points to a devotee-community; a householder offers gifts to one who honors devotees; the narrator adopts a servant posture toward such a person.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān
• Bhāgavata (devotees)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service to and love for Bhagavān’s devotees is presented as a supreme marker of spiritual worthiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching appears within the Dvārakā Māhātmya, reinforcing Dvārakā as a bhakti-centered sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A dharmic criterion is given: treat bhāgavatas as dear; such conduct makes one a fit recipient and beloved in the Lord’s regard.