Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 144

Devanagari script

संकल्पयित्वा वत्सं तु चाक्षुषं मनुमीश्वरम् । पृथुर्दुदोह सस्यानि स्वहस्ते पृथिवीं ततः

Transliteration

saṃkalpayitvā vatsaṃ tu cākṣuṣaṃ manumīśvaram | pṛthurdudoha sasyāni svahaste pṛthivīṃ tataḥ

Translation

Nachdem er Cākṣuṣa Manu, den erhabenen Herrn, zum Kalb bestimmt hatte, melkte Pṛthu sodann aus der Erde die Feldfrüchte, wobei seine eigene Hand als Gefäß diente.

Word by Word

• संकल्पयित्वा: having appointed; having arranged
• संकल्पयित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्√कॢप्/कॢप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वक्रिया (having arranged/appointed)

• वत्सम्: calf (as the calf for milking)
• वत्सम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative); एकवचन

• तु: and; indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• चाक्षुषम्: Cākṣuṣa (named)
• चाक्षुषम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चाक्षुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (मनुम् विशेषयति)

• मनुम्: Manu
• मनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• ईश्वरम्: the lord; sovereign
• ईश्वरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (मनुम् विशेषयति)

• पृथुः: Pṛthu
• पृथुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• दुदोह: milked
• दुदोह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दुह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सस्यानि: crops; grains
• सस्यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• स्वहस्ते: in his own hand
• स्वहस्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य हस्तः)

• पृथिवीम्: the Earth
• पृथिवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

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

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) as narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Pṛthu stands beside the personified Earth (Pṛthivī as a cow), with Cākṣuṣa Manu symbolically set as the calf; Pṛthu ‘milks’ crops—golden grains and green shoots—into his cupped hand as a vessel, signifying dharmic abundance.

Characters & Entities

• Pṛthu
• Pṛthivī
• Cākṣuṣa Manu
• Sasya (crops)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prosperity is a sacred trust: when guided by dharma and right intention, the earth yields abundance for all beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the Māhātmya framework; the cosmic episode supports the sanctity and authority of Prabhāsa’s sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse presents a foundational myth for agriculture and rightful extraction of resources.