Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 103

Devanagari script

देवमातेति सा तत्र संस्थिता लवणोदधौ । अस्मिन्मन्वंतरे देवि आदौ त्रेतायुगे पुरा

Transliteration

devamāteti sā tatra saṃsthitā lavaṇodadhau | asminmanvaṃtare devi ādau tretāyuge purā

Translation

Dort, im salzigen Ozean, wurde sie unter dem Namen „Devamātā“ (Mutter der Götter) fest gegründet. In diesem Manvantara, o Göttin, einst in alter Zeit, zu Beginn des Tretā-Yuga …

Word by Word

• देवमाता: mother of the gods
• देवमाता: Karta (Quoted term/उद्धृत-शब्द)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva-mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समासः: देवानां माता

• इति: thus
• इति: Avyaya (Quotative/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; उद्धरणसूचक

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

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

• संस्थिता: was established / stood
• संस्थिता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; 'stood/was situated'

• लवणोदधौ: in the salt ocean
• लवणोदधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lavaṇa-udadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (अधिकरण), एकवचनम्; समासः: लवणः उदधिः (salt ocean)

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• मन्वन्तरे: in (this) Manvantara
• मन्वन्तरे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manvantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समासः: मनोः अन्तरम्/कालः

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• आदौ: at the beginning
• आदौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-एकवचनस्य अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (at the beginning)

• त्रेतायुगे: in the Tretā age
• त्रेतायुगे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tretā-yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समासः: त्रेतायाः युगम्

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Avyaya (Time/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; कालवाचक (formerly/once)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devamātā-tīrtha (ocean-side at Prabhāsa)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘devī’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a moonlit seashore, the goddess becomes ‘Devamātā’—a maternal form seated near the salt ocean, with waves as her garment and devas offering salutations; a caption-like sense of ancient Tretā-yuga time.

Characters & Entities

• Devamātā
• Sarasvatī
• Lavaṇodadhi (Salt Ocean)
• Tretā-yuga
• Manvantara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic sacred history ties tīrthas to cosmic time, showing how divine names and functions manifest across yugas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The coastal sacred sphere of Prabhāsa is implied, with Sarasvatī associated with the salt ocean as Devamātā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse provides historical-cosmological context (yuga/manvantara) supporting the place’s sanctity.