Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 110

Devanagari script

एवंप्रभावा सा देवी वडवानल धारिणी । अग्नितीर्थसमीपस्था स्थिता देवी सरस्वती

Transliteration

evaṃprabhāvā sā devī vaḍavānala dhāriṇī | agnitīrthasamīpasthā sthitā devī sarasvatī

Translation

So ist die Macht jener Göttin: Sarasvatī, die den Vaḍavānala (das unterirdische Feuer) trägt, weilt nahe bei Agnitīrtha.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• एवम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner-adverb)

• प्रभावा: having such power/effect
• प्रभावा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• देवी: goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वडवानलधारिणी: bearer of the submarine fire (Vadavānala)
• वडवानलधारिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वडवानल (प्रातिपदिक) + धारिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): 'वडवानलस्य धारिणी'

• अग्नितीर्थसमीपस्था: standing near Agni-tīrtha
• अग्नितीर्थसमीपस्था: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्नितीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + समीप (प्रातिपदिक) + स्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-समासार्थ: 'अग्नितीर्थस्य समीपे स्थिता'

• स्थिताः: stood, stationed
• स्थिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agnitīrtha (Prabhāsa) with Sarasvatī-sannidhi

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sarasvatī stands near a coastal fire-tīrtha: waves lap at a shore where a sacred flame burns without consuming; beneath the sea a hinted glowing ‘vaḍavānala’ mouth; the goddess radiates calm mastery over fire and water.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Agnitīrtha
• Vaḍavānala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha is sacred because divine energies are believed to be concretely present there, not merely symbolic.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Agnitīrtha at Prabhāsa, with Sarasvatī residing nearby.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse locates the deity’s presence to guide pilgrimage focus.