Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

एवं देवि समाख्यातं तत्क्षेत्रं हि त्रिदैवतम् । गुह्याद्गुह्यतरं क्षेत्रं मम प्रियतरं शुभे

Transliteration

evaṃ devi samākhyātaṃ tatkṣetraṃ hi tridaivatam | guhyādguhyataraṃ kṣetraṃ mama priyataraṃ śubhe

Translation

هكذا يا إلهة، قد وُصف ذلك الكشيترا بأنه تابع للآلهة الثلاثة. يا مباركة، إنه أَسَرُّ من السرّ، وهو أحبُّ الكشيترا إليّ.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘thus’)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन — Feminine, Vocative singular

• समाख्यातम्: has been explained, has been described
• समाख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + ख्या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular; (इदम्) ‘has been explained’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular; विशेषण (qualifying क्षेत्रम्)

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred region
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चयार्थक-निपात (particle: ‘indeed/for’)

• त्रिदैवतम्: having three deities / tri-divine
• त्रिदैवतम्: Karma (Predicate adjective of object/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि + दैवत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular; द्विगु-समास (त्रीणि दैवतानि यस्मिन्/यत्) विधेय-विशेषण (of क्षेत्रम्)

• गुह्यात्: than (what is) secret
• गुह्यात्: Apadana (Ablative of comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुह्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन — Neuter, Ablative singular; तुलना-प्रयोग (than secret)

• गुह्यतरम्: more secret
• गुह्यतरम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुह्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular; तरप्-प्रत्यय (comparative) विशेषण (qualifying क्षेत्रम्)

• क्षेत्रम्: region
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive singular (pronoun)

• प्रियतरम्: dearer, more beloved
• प्रियतरम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc. singular; तरप्-प्रत्यय (comparative) विशेषण (qualifying क्षेत्रम्)

• शुभे: O auspicious one
• शुभे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन — Feminine, Vocative singular; (देवि) संबोधन

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (as tridaivata-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as devī, śubhe)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda speaking to Devī in a secluded grove near the sea; behind them a luminous mandala of three deity-emblems (trident, discus, lotus) hovering over the Prabhāsa landscape, signifying ‘tridaivatam’ and ‘guhya’.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Tri-daivatam (threefold divinity)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The holiest places are not only geographically sacred but also spiritually ‘secret’—their greatness is grasped through devotion, not merely information.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is praised as a uniquely revered and esoteric pilgrimage-field.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse emphasizes the supreme sanctity and threefold divine character of the kṣetra.