Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

स्थानेष्वन्येषु विप्राणां वृद्धरूपी पितामहः । युक्तं तदुन्नतस्थानं सदा च ब्रह्मणः प्रियम्

Transliteration

sthāneṣvanyeṣu viprāṇāṃ vṛddharūpī pitāmahaḥ | yuktaṃ tadunnatasthānaṃ sadā ca brahmaṇaḥ priyam

Translation

في مواضعَ أخرى، يا معشرَ البراهمة، يظهرُ بيتامها (براهما) في هيئةِ الشيخوخة. لذلك فـ«المقامُ المُرتفع» (أُنَّتَسْثانا) مُسمّىً بحقّ، وهو دائمًا محبوبٌ لدى براهما.

Word by Word

• sthāneṣu: in places
• sthāneṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), बहुवचन

• anyeṣu: other
• anyeṣu: Adhikarana (Location qualifier/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; ‘sthāneṣu’ इति विशेष्येण सह

• viprāṇām: of the brāhmaṇas
• viprāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन (genitive)

• vṛddharūpī: in the form of an old man
• vṛddharūpī: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛddha-rūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वृद्धस्य रूपं यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘pitāmahaḥ’ इति विशेष्येण सह

• pitāmahaḥ: Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• pitāmahaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yuktam: is proper / fitting
• yuktam: Kriya (Predicative complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √yuj युज्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• tad: that
• tad: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘unnatasthānam’ इति विशेष्येण सह

• unnatasthānam: the elevated place
• unnatasthānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: unnata-sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (उन्नतं स्थानम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (always)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (and)

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā
• brahmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन (genitive)

• priyam: dear / beloved
• priyam: Kriya (Predicative complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘unnatasthānam’ इति विशेष्येण सह (predicate/attributive)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnata-sthāna

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: viprāḥ (brāhmaṇas) (as addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A comparative tableau: at generic sites Brahmā appears aged with white beard; at Unnata-sthāna he appears youthful/childlike, with a radiant aura over the elevated shrine; brāhmaṇas gesture to the ‘fitting’ name of the place.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Vipra (brāhmaṇas)
• Unnata-sthāna
• Vṛddharūpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s uniqueness is shown through the deity’s distinctive form there; Unnata-sthāna is singled out as especially beloved to Brahmā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Unnata-sthāna in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it clarifies the theological identity of the place and how Brahmā is specially regarded there.