Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

दुर्गन्धा भासुरा देवि वहते रसरूपिणी । तस्या रसेन संयुक्तं पृथग्वर्णं हि कर्बुरम्

Transliteration

durgandhā bhāsurā devi vahate rasarūpiṇī | tasyā rasena saṃyuktaṃ pṛthagvarṇaṃ hi karburam

Translation

يا إلهة، هناك يجري سيلٌ لامعٌ من «الرَّسا» (الجوهر)، وقد يكون أحيانًا ذا رائحة كريهة. فإذا امتزج بذلك الجوهر صار مُرقَّطًا، بألوانٍ متمايزةٍ منفصلة.

Word by Word

• दुर्गन्धा: foul-smelling
• दुर्गन्धा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्-गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + गन्ध)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (fem nom sg)

• भासुरा: shining; radiant
• भासुरा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भासुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (fem nom sg)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वहते: flows; proceeds
• वहते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (vahate = flows/carries itself)

• रसरूपिणी: (the water/stream) having the nature/form of essence/juice
• रसरूपिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस-रूपिणी (प्रातिपदिक; रस + रूपिणी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृपद (the one having the form of rasa)

• तस्या: of that (stream)
• तस्या: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive sg)

• रसेन: with/by the essence/juice
• रसेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental sg)

• संयुक्तम्: combined; mixed
• संयुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-युज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (combined)

• पृथक्: distinctly; separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: separately/distinctly)

• वर्णम्: color
• वर्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• कर्बुरम्: mottled; variegated
• कर्बुरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्बुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (variegated/spotted)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rasa-vāhinī (essence-flow) associated with the Prabhāsa kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A shining but slightly noxious stream of essence flows near the kuṇḍa; where it mixes, the ground/water becomes mottled with distinct colors, like mineral marbling under sunlight.

Characters & Entities

• Kuṇḍa (implied)
• Rasa (essence/alchemical fluid)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha can display paradoxical signs—both ordinary and wondrous—yet remains a vessel of divine potency beyond surface appearances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The miraculous kuṇḍa region in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where a radiant ‘rasa’ is said to flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it describes observable properties of the rasa associated with the tīrtha.