Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । यदेतद्भवता प्रोक्तं माहात्म्यं सूर्यदैवतम् । तन्मे विस्तरतो ब्रूहि देवदेव जगत्पते

Transliteration

devyuvāca | yadetadbhavatā proktaṃ māhātmyaṃ sūryadaivatam | tanme vistarato brūhi devadeva jagatpate

Translation

দেবী বলিলেন—হে দেবদেব, জগত্পতে! আপনি যে সূর্যদেবতার মাহাত্ম্য বলিয়াছেন, তাহা আমাকে বিস্তারসহ বলুন।

Word by Word

• devī: the Goddess
• devī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• yat: which/that (what)
• yat: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• etat: this
• etat: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (demonstrative)

• bhavatā: by you
• bhavatā: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (honorific ‘you’)

• proktam: told
• proktam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु) → prokta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘said/told’

• māhātmyam: the greatness (māhātmya)
• māhātmyam: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sūrya-daivatam: having the Sun as the presiding deity
• sūrya-daivatam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + daivata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सूर्यः दैवतं यस्य (having the Sun as deity)

• tat: that
• tat: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• me: to me / for me
• me: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन (Genitive/Dative sg. enclitic)

• vistarataḥ: in detail
• vistarataḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (adverb): ‘in detail’

• brūhi: tell
• brūhi: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• deva-deva: O god of gods
• deva-deva: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; देवानां देवः

• jagat-pate: O lord of the world
• jagat-pate: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा, एकवचन; जगतः पतिः

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādeva (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, seated in reverent posture, asks Mahādeva to expand the Sun-deity’s greatness connected to Prabhāsa; the setting suggests a sacred coastal kṣetra with temple silhouettes and radiant solar motifs.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Sūrya
• Devadeva (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion seeks deeper understanding; inquiry into māhātmya is honored as a path to clearer faith and practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context remains Prabhāsa-kṣetra, now turning toward a fuller exposition of Sūrya’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative prompt—Devī requests an expanded teaching on the Sun’s glory.