Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

दैत्यानामधिपो देवि विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना । कृत्वा वर्षशतं युद्धं तलस्वामी ततोऽभवत्

Transliteration

daityānāmadhipo devi viṣṇunā prabhaviṣṇunā | kṛtvā varṣaśataṃ yuddhaṃ talasvāmī tato'bhavat

Translation

O Göttin, der Herr der Daityas führte hundert Jahre lang Krieg mit Viṣṇu — dem mächtigen, allgewaltigen Viṣṇu — und wurde danach als Talasvāmi bekannt.

Word by Word

• दैत्यानाम्: of the daityas (demons)
• दैत्यानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• अधिपः: lord
• अधिपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• प्रभविष्णुना: by mighty Viṣṇu
• प्रभविष्णुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभ-विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक; प्रभ + विष्णु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; विष्णोः विशेषणम्

• कृत्वा: having done / having waged
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘having done’

• वर्षशतम्: a hundred years
• वर्षशतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष-शत (प्रातिपदिक; वर्ष + शत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक

• युद्धम्: battle
• युद्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• तलस्वामी: Talasvāmin (lord named Tala)
• तलस्वामी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तल-स्वामिन् (प्रातिपदिक; तल + स्वामिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; ‘तलस्य स्वामी’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• ततः: then / thereafter
• ततः: Kala (Sequence/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम् अर्थे (thereupon/then)

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Taptodaka-svāmin tīrtha (Talu/Talasvāmi episode)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mythic tableau: the daitya-king wages a hundred-year war against the all-powerful Viṣṇu; the asura becomes known as Talasvāmi, foreshadowing his defeat and the sanctification of the hot-water tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Viṣṇu
• Daityas
• Talasvāmi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage sites are tied to cosmic history: the tīrtha’s sanctity is grounded in divine conflict and transformation across vast time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative supports the māhātmya of Talasvāmi/Taptodakasvāmi at Taptodaka in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it provides mythic background for the deity/site.