Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

सर्वाश्चर्यमयं देवि बुद्धिग्राह्यं निरामयम् । विश्वतः पाणिपादं च विश्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम्

Transliteration

sarvāścaryamayaṃ devi buddhigrāhyaṃ nirāmayam | viśvataḥ pāṇipādaṃ ca viśvato'kṣiśiromukham

Translation

O Göttin, Er ist ganz und gar wundersam—vom geläuterten Geist erfassbar, frei von allem Leid—dessen Hände und Füße überall sind und dessen Augen, Häupter und Antlitze nach allen Seiten sind.

Word by Word

• सर्वाश्चर्यमयम्: filled with all wonders
• सर्वाश्चर्यमयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-आश्चर्य-मय (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + आश्चर्य + मय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular neuter; तत्पुरुष: 'सर्वैः आश्चर्यैः मयम्' (full of all wonders)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular feminine

• बुद्धिग्राह्यम्: comprehensible by intellect
• बुद्धिग्राह्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बुद्धि-ग्राह्य (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त; बुद्धि + ग्राह्य (√ग्रह् + यत्))
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular neuter; तत्पुरुष: 'बुद्ध्या ग्राह्यम्' (graspable by intellect)

• निरामयम्: free from affliction
• निरामयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्-आमय (प्रातिपदिक; निर् + आमय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular neuter; उपसर्ग-तत्पुरुष: 'आमयः (रोगः) नास्ति यस्य' (free from disease)

• विश्वतः: on all sides
• विश्वतः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विश्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (दिक्/परिमाण) — Indeclinable adverb ('on all sides/from every side')

• पाणिपादम्: (having) hands and feet
• पाणिपादम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाणि-पाद (प्रातिपदिक; पाणि + पाद)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular neuter; द्वन्द्व (समाहार): 'पाणयः च पादाः च' (hands and feet collectively)

• च: and
• च: Conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय-निपात — Indeclinable conjunction

• विश्वतः: on all sides
• विश्वतः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विश्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त — Indeclinable adverb ('everywhere')

• अक्षिशिरोमुखम्: (having) eyes, heads, and mouths
• अक्षिशिरोमुखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षि-शिरस्-मुख (प्रातिपदिक; अक्षि + शिरस् + मुख)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular neuter; द्वन्द्व (समाहार): 'अक्षीणि च शिरांसि च मुखानि च' (eyes, heads, and mouths collectively)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vṛṣadhvajeśvara / Vṛṣabhadhvaja

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic vision: Śiva as viśvarūpa with innumerable hands, feet, eyes, heads, and faces radiating in all directions; the Prabhāsa shrine appears as a focal point within the boundless form.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord is all-pervading and transcendent—present everywhere and understood through refined spiritual discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, the sacred field praised in this Māhātmya section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; it is a praise-verse (stuti) establishing Śiva’s viśvarūpa (cosmic pervasion).