Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

एतद्धि दृश्यते धन्यैः पद्मं कैः क्वापि पार्थिव । एतस्मिन्दृष्टमात्रे तु यो जलं विशते नरः

Transliteration

etaddhi dṛśyate dhanyaiḥ padmaṃ kaiḥ kvāpi pārthiva | etasmindṛṣṭamātre tu yo jalaṃ viśate naraḥ

Translation

„Wahrlich, o König, dieser Lotos wird nur von den Glückseligen gesehen – höchst selten von irgendwem irgendwo. Und der Mann, der ihn nur erblickt und dann ins Wasser steigt…“

Word by Word

• एतत्: this (lotus)
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/हेतौ निपात (indeed/for)

• दृश्यते: is seen
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• धन्यैः: by the blessed (people)
• धन्यैः: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; ‘धन्य’ = पुण्यवान् (blessed)

• पद्मम्: the lotus
• पद्मम्: Karta (Subject in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अत्र कर्मणि-प्रयोगे प्रथमा (subject of passive)

• कैः: by whom (what kind of people)
• कैः: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• क्वापि: somewhere, anywhere
• क्वापि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘somewhere/anywhere’)

• पार्थिव: O king
• पार्थिव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• एतस्मिन्: in this / upon this (occasion)
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दृष्टमात्रे: at the mere sight (of it)
• दृष्टमात्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृष्ट (कृदन्त; दृश् धातोः क्त) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; ‘दर्शनमात्रे’ = at the mere sight

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (but/indeed)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• विशते: enters
• विशते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

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

Speaker

Vasiṣṭha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (sacred water-body with the miraculous lotus)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthiva/Rājendra (the king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant, otherworldly lotus appears upon a sacred pool; only a few blessed pilgrims perceive it, while a king listens as the narrator points to the sign; the water shimmers with sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Brahmapadma (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fortune and merit mature into access to sacred places; proper response is reverent ritual engagement.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Brahmodbhava/Brahmapadma lotus-tīrtha and its associated sacred waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

After darśana of the lotus, entering the sacred water (snāna/immersion) is indicated.