Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । तस्माद्वैश्रवण स्थानान्नैरृत्यां वरवर्णिनि । स्वयं स्थितः कुबेरस्तु सर्वदारिद्र्यनाशनः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tasmādvaiśravaṇa sthānānnairṛtyāṃ varavarṇini | svayaṃ sthitaḥ kuberastu sarvadāridryanāśanaḥ

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „Von jenem Ort des Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera) aus, nach Südwesten, o Schöne; dort weilt Kubera selbst, der alle Armut vernichtet.“

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्) (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular

• tasmāt: from that (place/therefore)
• tasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन — Ablative, Singular

• vaiśravaṇa: of Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera)
• vaiśravaṇa: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaiśravaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचन (सम्बन्ध) — Masculine, Genitive, Singular; विशेषण (स्थानात्)

• sthānāt: from the place
• sthānāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• nairṛtyām: in the southwest direction
• nairṛtyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nairṛtī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन — Feminine, Locative, Singular

• varavarṇini: O fair-complexioned lady
• varavarṇini: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara-varṇinī (प्रातिपदिक; वर + वर्णिनी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Vocative, Singular; कर्मधारय

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Karta-visheshana (Agent-qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वार्थक अव्यय (reflexive adverb: oneself)

• sthitaḥ: situated, stationed
• sthitaḥ: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (कृदन्त; √sthā ‘स्था’ + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (स्थितः)

• kuberaḥ: Kubera
• kuberaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kubera (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• tu: indeed, however
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• sarvadāridryanāśanaḥ: destroyer of all poverty
• sarvadāridryanāśanaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva-dāridrya-nāśana (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + दारिद्र्य + नाशन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; विशेषण (कुबेरः); ‘सर्वस्य दारिद्र्यस्य नाशनः’ (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kubera-sthāna (within Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī (addressed as varavarṇinī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara instructs the Devī about a southwest sacred spot where Kubera abides, depicted as a jeweled, pot-bellied deity seated with treasure vessels, near a coastal grove and shrine markers.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Kubera (Vaiśravaṇa)
• Nairṛtya (southwest)
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wealth is framed as dharmically ordered: worship at the proper sacred locus aligns prosperity with divine guardianship and removes destitution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kubera/Vaiśravaṇa-sthāna within Prabhāsakṣetra, located with directional specificity (southwest).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription in this verse; it identifies the Kubera-sthāna and its promised benefit (poverty-destruction).