Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणा विहितं यच्च शतकोटिप्रविस्तरम् । आह तन्नारदायैव तेन वाल्मीकये पुनः

Transliteration

brahmaṇā vihitaṃ yacca śatakoṭipravistaram | āha tannāradāyaiva tena vālmīkaye punaḥ

Translation

Was Brahmā angeordnet hatte, in einer Ausdehnung von hundert koṭis, das verkündete er Nārada; und Nārada wiederum erzählte es erneut Vālmīki.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मणा: by Brahmā
• ब्रह्मणा: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular (by Brahmā)

• विहितम्: ordained/composed
• विहितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√धा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; Past passive participle (ordained/composed)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; Relative pronoun (which)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय; Conjunction (and)

• शतकोटिप्रविस्तरम्: of the extent of a hundred crores (in detail)
• शतकोटिप्रविस्तरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत-कोटि-प्रविस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; Adjective (having an extent of a hundred crores)

• आह: said
• आह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 3rd person singular (he said)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (that)

• नारदाय: to Nārada
• नारदाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Dative singular (to Nārada)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय; Particle (indeed/only)

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular (by him/thereafter by that one)

• वाल्मीकये: to Vālmīki
• वाल्मीकये: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाल्मीकि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Dative singular (to Vālmīki)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्ति-अव्यय; Adverb (again)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvijas/assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A three-tier transmission scene: Brahmā in a luminous cosmic lotus realm instructs Nārada with vīṇā; Nārada then teaches Vālmīki in an āśrama; manuscripts and light-streams symbolize the ‘hundred-crore’ expanse condensed into teachable form.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Nārada
• Vālmīki

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge is preserved through guru–śiṣya transmission, moving from cosmic source (Brahmā) into human-accessible scripture.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse supports the authority of narration within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it describes textual lineage.