Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

स हि त्रिभुवनस्वामी देवदेवो महेश्वरः । अपेक्षते वरं दातुं भक्तिमेवानपायिनीम्

Transliteration

sa hi tribhuvanasvāmī devadevo maheśvaraḥ | apekṣate varaṃ dātuṃ bhaktimevānapāyinīm

Translation

Denn jener Maheśvara—Herr der drei Welten, Gott der Götter—blickt, wenn er eine Gabe gewährt, vor allem auf unerschütterliche Hingabe allein.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• hi: indeed; for
• hi: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis/causal)

• tri-bhuvana-svāmī: lord of the three worlds
• tri-bhuvana-svāmī: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + bhuvana (प्रातिपदिक) + svāmin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (tribhuvanānāṃ svāmī); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; saḥ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• deva-devaḥ: god of gods
• deva-devaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (devānāṃ devaḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• maheśvaraḥ: Maheśvara (the Great Lord)
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (mahān īśvaraḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• apekṣate: expects; looks for
• apekṣate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√īkṣ (ईक्ष्) (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• varam: a boon
• varam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dātum: to give
• dātum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √dā (दा) (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive): दातुम्; प्रयोजनार्थ (to give)

• bhaktim: devotion
• bhaktim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• eva: alone; indeed
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात

• anapāyinīm: unfailing; not departing
• anapāyinīm: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-apāyinī (प्रातिपदिक; a- + apāyinī from √i/यि with apa-)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (bhaktim)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience in the mahatmya frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A declarative, almost aphoristic tableau: Mahādeva as Devadeva, holding trident and damaru, radiating sovereignty over the three worlds; a subtle emphasis on the devotee’s unwavering gaze and folded hands as the true ‘key’ to boons.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest ‘credential’ before God is steadfast devotion; boons follow bhakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya, thereby praising Prabhāsa as a sacred landscape of Śiva’s grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse prescribes inner steadiness—unfailing devotion.