Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

सुष्वापाथ निशाशेषे ददृशे पितरं स्वकम् । स्वप्ने दशरथं देवि सौम्यरूपं महाप्रभम्

Transliteration

suṣvāpātha niśāśeṣe dadṛśe pitaraṃ svakam | svapne daśarathaṃ devi saumyarūpaṃ mahāprabham

Translation

Als die Nacht fast verstrichen war, schlief er ein und sah im Traum seinen eigenen Vater—König Daśaratha—o Göttin, von sanfter Gestalt und von großer Herrlichkeit strahlend.

Word by Word

• सुष्वाप: slept
• सुष्वाप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्वप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (particle: then/now)

• निशा-शेषे: at the end of the night
• निशा-शेषे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा + शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘निशायाः शेषः’ = remainder of the night)

• ददृशे: saw
• ददृशे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

• पितरम्: father
• पितरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• स्वकम्: his own
• स्वकम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• स्वप्ने: in a dream
• स्वप्ने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वप्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्

• दशरथम्: Daśaratha
• दशरथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशरथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्

• सौम्य-रूपम्: of gentle form
• सौम्य-रूपम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौम्य + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (‘सौम्यं रूपं यस्य’)

• महा-प्रभम्: greatly radiant
• महा-प्रभम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + प्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (‘महती प्रभा यस्य’)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pre-dawn stillness: Rāma asleep on a leaf-bed; a radiant, gentle Daśaratha appears in dream-vision, luminous and benevolent; Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa nearby in quiet repose; faint aura fills the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Daśaratha
• Svapna (dream)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage narratives often unfold through divine signs; dreams can serve as dharmic guidance, especially tied to ancestral duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The vision occurs in the setting of Prabhāsa-kṣetra, continuing its sanctified narrative atmosphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse foreshadows possible pitṛ-related duties that may follow from the dream.