Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

यम उवाच । प्रभासं क्षेत्रमासाद्या नरकेश्वरमुत्तमम् । यः पश्यति नरो भक्त्या नरकं स न पश्यति

Transliteration

yama uvāca | prabhāsaṃ kṣetramāsādyā narakeśvaramuttamam | yaḥ paśyati naro bhaktyā narakaṃ sa na paśyati

Translation

Yama sprach: „Wer das heilige Kṣetra Prabhāsa erreicht und den höchsten Narakeśvara in Bhakti schaut, der erblickt die Hölle nicht; er ist von der Schau des Naraka befreit.“

Word by Word

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• प्रभासम्: Prabhāsa (place)
• प्रभासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred field/region
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• आसाद्य: having reached
• आसाद्य: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया (having done)

• नरकेश्वरम्: Lord of Naraka (a deity/title)
• नरकेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नरकस्य ईश्वरः)

• उत्तमम्: supreme, excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifying नरकेश्वरम्)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); अन्वादेश (correlative pronoun)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Yama (Dharmarāja)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Narakeśvara at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (frame, implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama, dignified and radiant, points toward or reveals the Narakeśvara liṅga at Prabhāsa; a devotee stands in awe, with the sea and temple lamps behind; a shadowy ‘narka’ motif dissolves in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra
• Narakeśvara (Śiva-liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional darśana of Narakeśvara at Prabhāsa is proclaimed as a powerful protection from the fate of naraka.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, specifically the deity Narakeśvara (a Śiva-liṅga) within that sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The key act is bhakti-yukta darśana—reaching Prabhāsa and beholding Narakeśvara with devotion.