Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

श्रुतीनां यत्र कल्पादौ प्रवृत्त्यर्थं जनार्दनः । मत्स्यरूपी च मनवे नरसिंहोपवर्णनम्

Transliteration

śrutīnāṃ yatra kalpādau pravṛttyarthaṃ janārdanaḥ | matsyarūpī ca manave narasiṃhopavarṇanam

Translation

Dort, zu Beginn eines Kalpa, um die Śruti (die Veden) in Gang zu setzen, nahm Janārdana die Gestalt des Fisches (Matsya) an und erzählte Manu die Kunde von Narasiṃha.

Word by Word

• श्रुतीनाम्: of the Vedas/śrutis
• श्रुतीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: “where”)

• कल्पादौ: at the beginning of the kalpa
• कल्पादौ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular); ‘आदौ’ अर्थे (at the beginning)

• प्रवृत्त्यर्थम्: for the purpose of activity/engagement
• प्रवृत्त्यर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रवृत्तेः अर्थः)

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• मत्स्यरूपी: having the form of a fish
• मत्स्यरूपी: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मत्स्य (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (मत्स्यरूपः यस्य)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• मनवे: to Manu
• मनवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (Singular)

• नरसिंहोपवर्णनम्: the description of Narasiṃha
• नरसिंहोपवर्णनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + सिंह (प्रातिपदिक) + उपवर्णन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नरसिंहस्य उपवर्णनम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the dawn of a kalpa, a vast cosmic ocean; Janārdana as Matsya rises, speaking to Manu seated in a boat, while luminous Vedic śrutis (as scrolls or personified goddesses) are ‘set in motion’; a secondary vignette hints at Narasiṃha’s fierce form being narrated.

Characters & Entities

• Janārdana
• Matsya (Fish form)
• Manu
• Narasiṃha
• Śruti
• Kalpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine incarnations preserve and restart sacred knowledge; avatāra narratives uphold the continuity of dharma across cosmic cycles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya provides the setting; this verse itself emphasizes cosmic history rather than a named terrestrial tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a theological-historical statement about avatāra instruction.