Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

अथ याः कन्यका दत्ताः सप्तविंशतिरिंदवे । तासां मध्ये महादेवि प्रिया तस्य च रोहिणी

Transliteration

atha yāḥ kanyakā dattāḥ saptaviṃśatiriṃdave | tāsāṃ madhye mahādevi priyā tasya ca rohiṇī

Translation

Nun, unter den siebenundzwanzig Jungfrauen, die dem Mond gegeben wurden, war unter ihnen, o Große Göttin, Rohiṇī seine Geliebte.

Word by Word

• अथ: then, now
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक/आरम्भार्थक (sequence/then)

• याः: who (those)
• याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• कन्यकाः: maidens, daughters
• कन्यकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्यका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन

• दत्ताः: given
• दत्ताः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सप्तविंशतिः: twenty-seven
• सप्तविंशतिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्तविंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (numeral)

• इन्दवे: to the Moon
• इन्दवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/Dative); एकवचन

• तासाम्: of them
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); बहुवचन

• मध्ये: in the midst
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन; संबोधनपदम्

• प्रिया: dear, beloved
• प्रिया: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• रोहिणी: Rohiṇī
• रोहिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोहिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial wedding tableau: the Moon-god (Candra/Soma) radiant and cool-hued, surrounded by 27 maiden Nakṣatras; Rohiṇī stands closest, adorned with a red-gold glow, while the Great Goddess is addressed in the narration as witness.

Characters & Entities

• Indu (Candra, the Moon)
• Rohiṇī
• Mahādevī (addressed)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Attachment and preference, even among celestial beings, can disturb harmony—hinting that dharma requires balance, fairness, and restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative sits within Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s māhātmya framework; this verse itself transitions into a lunar-nakṣatra account rather than describing a local shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit vrata, dāna, or snāna is stated here.