Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

एवंविधं नमस्कृत्य परमात्मानमीश्वरम् । कथां वदिष्ये द्विविधां द्विशरीरां तथैव तु

Transliteration

evaṃvidhaṃ namaskṛtya paramātmānamīśvaram | kathāṃ vadiṣye dvividhāṃ dviśarīrāṃ tathaiva tu

Translation

So habe ich mich vor dem höchsten Selbst, dem Herrn Īśvara, verneigt; nun will ich die heilige Erzählung darlegen—zweifach in der Methode und ebenso in einer doppeltgestaltigen Form, mit zwei Aspekten.

Word by Word

• एवंविधम्: of such a kind
• एवंविधम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एवं (अव्यय) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (एवं प्रकारः)

• नमस्कृत्य: having saluted
• नमस्कृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक) + √कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• परमात्मानम्: the Supreme Self
• परमात्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ईश्वरम्: the Lord
• ईश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परमात्मानम् इत्यस्य विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन

• कथाम्: story; discourse
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वदिष्ये: I shall speak
• वदिष्ये: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• द्विविधाम्: twofold
• द्विविधाम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्या) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (कथाम् प्रति)

• द्विशरीराम्: having two bodies; two-bodied
• द्विशरीराम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वि (संख्या) + शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (कथाम् प्रति)

• तथा: thus; likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• तु: and/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis)

Speaker

Romaharṣaṇa (Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Assembly of ṛṣis/śrotṛs (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator-sage, seated with palm-leaf manuscript, bows to a radiant, unseen Lord before commencing the Prabhāsa account; two scrolls or two panels hint at the ‘twofold/double-bodied’ structure.

Characters & Entities

• Paramātman
• Īśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

After salutations to the Supreme, sacred storytelling becomes a disciplined transmission of dharma and tīrtha-glory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The coming narration concerns Prabhāsakṣetra; this verse signals the beginning of its māhātmya account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual; it establishes the customary order: obeisance first, then dharmic narration.