Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

दर्शनार्थं प्रभासस्य उत्तरापथगामिनः । तं दृष्ट्वाऽच्छादितं देवं वज्रेण तु महेश्वरि

Transliteration

darśanārthaṃ prabhāsasya uttarāpathagāminaḥ | taṃ dṛṣṭvā'cchāditaṃ devaṃ vajreṇa tu maheśvari

Translation

„Auf der Suche nach dem Darśana von Prabhāsa kamen jene, die den nördlichen Weg genommen hatten—o Maheśvarī—und sahen die Gottheit von einem Vajra, dem Donnerkeil, verhüllt.“

Word by Word

• दर्शनार्थम्: for the sake of seeing
• दर्शनार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दर्शनस्य/दर्शनाय अर्थः) ; प्रयोजनार्थे (accusative of purpose)

• प्रभासस्य: of Prabhāsa
• प्रभासस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• उत्तरापथगामिनः: those going by the northern route
• उत्तरापथगामिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तरापथ + गामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (उत्तरापथं गच्छन्ति इति); विशेषण (to ऋषयः understood)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having done)

• आच्छादितम्: covered, concealed
• आच्छादितम्: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + छद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (to देवं)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• वज्रेण: by/with a thunderbolt
• वज्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण (instrument)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• महेश्वरि: O great lady (Maheśvarī)
• महेश्वरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महा + ईश्वरी)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Maheśvarī / Mahādevī (vocative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of northern-route pilgrims/sages arrive at Prabhāsa for darśana and behold the deity/shrine strangely ‘covered by vajra’—a hard, radiant, thunderbolt-like sheath obscuring the liṅga.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Ṛṣis
• Vajra (thunderbolt)
• Maheśvarī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage may include trials; steadfast desire for darśana is portrayed as a purifier and a mark of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, approached by pilgrims even from distant northern regions (Uttarāpatha).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the pilgrims’ purpose (darśana) and the obstruction encountered.