Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

भीमोनाम नृपश्रेष्ठ दमयन्तीपिता हि यः । तं प्रभावं हि विज्ञाय सक्तूनां तत्र पर्वते

Transliteration

bhīmonāma nṛpaśreṣṭha damayantīpitā hi yaḥ | taṃ prabhāvaṃ hi vijñāya saktūnāṃ tatra parvate

Translation

Jener vortrefflichste König hieß Bhīma, wahrlich der Vater Damayantīs. Als er die außerordentliche Kraft des Saktu dort auf jenem Berge erkannt hatte,

Word by Word

• bhīmaḥ: Bhīma
• bhīmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhīma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Visheshana (Appositive marker/विशेषण-चिह्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): ‘by name/namely’

• nṛpaśreṣṭha: O best of kings
• nṛpaśreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः

• damayantīpitā: Damayantī’s father
• damayantīpitā: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: damayantī + pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: दमयन्त्याः पिता

• hi: indeed
• hi: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): indeed/for

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tam: that
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• prabhāvam: power, efficacy
• prabhāvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• hi: indeed
• hi: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): indeed

• vijñāya: having understood
• vijñāya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) with vi-: ‘having known/understood’

• saktūnām: of parched grain/flour-balls
• saktūnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saktu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): there

• parvate: on the mountain
• parvate: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Acaleśvara-sannidhi on Arbudācala

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal pilgrim-king Bhīma, father of Damayantī, arrives at the sacred Arbuda mountain and perceives the mysterious potency of humble saktu in that place.

Characters & Entities

• Bhīma (king of Vidarbha)
• Damayantī
• parvata (mountain/Arbuda)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Recognizing the spiritual potency of a sacred place and a simple offering can reshape a ruler’s lifelong dharmic practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘mountain’ refers to the Arbuda sacred mountain-region, within which Acaleśvara’s vicinity is later highlighted.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse introduces the idea of saktu’s prabhāva (efficacy), preparing for the recurring annual observance described next.