Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

छिन्ने त्वद्यापि तत्रैव सुरक्तं संप्रदृश्यते । विष्णुक्षेत्रं हि तत्प्रोक्तं शंखो यत्र हतः पुरा

Transliteration

chinne tvadyāpi tatraiva suraktaṃ saṃpradṛśyate | viṣṇukṣetraṃ hi tatproktaṃ śaṃkho yatra hataḥ purā

Translation

Noch heute sieht man dort, wenn man ihn anschneidet, ein leuchtendes Rot. Wahrlich, jener Ort wird als das Kṣetra Viṣṇus bezeichnet, wo einst Śaṃkha erschlagen wurde.

Word by Word

• छिन्ने: when cut / though cut
• छिन्ने: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिद् (धातु) → छिन्न (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute: when/though it is cut)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधसूचक (particle: but/indeed)

• अद्यापि: even now
• अद्यापि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययसमूह; कालवाचक (even today/still)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (there)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle: just/only)

• सुरक्तम्: very red (substance)
• सुरक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग) + रक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण (very red)

• संप्रदृश्यते: is seen/appears
• संप्रदृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्र-दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे (is seen/appears)

• विष्णु-क्षेत्रम्: Viṣṇu’s sacred region
• विष्णु-क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (neuter nominative/accusative singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (particle: indeed/for)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (that)

• प्रोक्तम्: declared/called
• प्रोक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; (declared/called)

• शंखः: Śaṅkha (a being named Śaṅkha)
• शंखः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (nominative singular)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक (where)

• हतः: was slain
• हतः: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण/विधेय (slain)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (formerly)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṃkhāvartta (within Viṣṇu-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stone is shown being cut or split, revealing vivid red within; in the background, a symbolic vision of Viṣṇu’s ancient combat with the asura Śaṃkha is suggested, linking the red sign to the slaying.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Viṣṇukṣetra
• Śaṃkha
• Śaṃkhāvartta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s sanctity is anchored in divine history; remembrance of sacred events sustains living faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṃkhāvartta tīrtha, identified also as a Viṣṇukṣetra due to an ancient episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed in this verse; it provides the tīrtha’s identification through legend and sign.