Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

भवद्भिर्ज्ञानसंयुक्तैः स्वर्गः किं मन्यते बहु । यत्रैके वसवः प्रोक्ता आदित्याश्च तथा परे

Transliteration

bhavadbhirjñānasaṃyuktaiḥ svargaḥ kiṃ manyate bahu | yatraike vasavaḥ proktā ādityāśca tathā pare

Translation

Ihr, die ihr mit Erkenntnis begabt seid, warum sollte euch der Himmel für etwas Großes gelten? Dort werden einige als Vasus bezeichnet und andere ebenso als Ādityas.

Word by Word

• bhavadbhiḥ: by you (respected ones)
• bhavadbhiḥ: Kartr-karana (Agent-instrumental/कर्तृ-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम-प्राय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; आदरार्थे ‘भवत्’

• jñāna-saṃyuktaiḥ: endowed with knowledge
• jñāna-saṃyuktaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyukta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ज्ञानेन संयुक्तैः)

• svargaḥ: heaven
• svargaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• kim: what? / why?
• kim: Question marker (प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• manyate: is considered / is thought
• manyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• bahu: much, greatly
• bahu: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (much)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरणार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• eke: some
• eke: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• vasavaḥ: the Vasus
• vasavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; देवगणविशेषः

• proktāḥ: are said (to be)
• proktāḥ: Kriya (Predicative/भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vac (धातु) → prokta (कृदन्त, क्त; प्र+वच्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; कर्मणि (are said/called)

• ādityāḥ: the Ādityas
• ādityāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āditya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tathā: thus, likewise
• tathā: Discourse adverb (प्रकार/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थक (thus/also)

• pare: others
• pare: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: munis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva teaches the sages, gesturing upward as if indicating celestial orders—Vasus and Ādityas—while emphasizing detachment; sages listen with contemplative faces.

Characters & Entities

• Svarga
• Vasus
• Ādityas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even exalted heavenly status is still within the realm of change; the wise do not overvalue it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the narrative setting; the teaching frames why a superior goal than svarga is sought through sacred living there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it introduces a reflection on heaven’s nature and hierarchy.