Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । वेदपादो यूपदंष्ट्रः क्रतुदंतःस्रुचीमुखः । अग्निजिह्वो दर्भरोमा ब्रह्मशीर्षा महातपाः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | vedapādo yūpadaṃṣṭraḥ kratudaṃtaḥsrucīmukhaḥ | agnijihvo darbharomā brahmaśīrṣā mahātapāḥ

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „Seine Füße waren die Veden; seine Hauer waren die yūpa, Opferpfähle; seine Zähne waren die Riten (kratu); sein Mund war die Opferkelle (srucī). Seine Zunge war Feuer; seine Haare waren kuśa-Gras; sein Haupt war Brahmā — er war von großer Askese.“

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (the Lord)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative, singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (perfect, parasmaipada, 3rd person singular)

• veda-pādaḥ: whose feet are the Vedas
• veda-pādaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda + pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुव्रीह्यर्थे विशेषणवत् (masculine, nominative, singular; epithet)

• yūpa-daṃṣṭraḥ: whose tusks are the sacrificial posts
• yūpa-daṃṣṭraḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yūpa + daṃṣṭra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (masculine, nominative, singular; epithet)

• kratu-dantaḥ: whose teeth are the rites (kratus)
• kratu-dantaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kratu + danta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (masculine, nominative, singular)

• srucī-mukhaḥ: whose mouth is the ladle (sruc)
• srucī-mukhaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: srucī + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (masculine, nominative, singular)

• agni-jihvaḥ: whose tongue is fire
• agni-jihvaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agni + jihvā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (masculine, nominative, singular)

• darbha-romā: whose hair is darbha-grass
• darbha-romā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: darbha + roman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (masculine, nominative, singular)

• brahma-śīrṣā: whose head is Brahman (sacred knowledge)
• brahma-śīrṣā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: brahman + śīrṣan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (masculine, nominative, singular)

• mahā-tapāḥ: of great austerity
• mahā-tapāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā + tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (masculine, nominative, singular)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal Varāha-form whose limbs are mapped to Vedic components: Vedas as feet, yūpa as tusks, kratu as teeth, sruc as mouth, Agni as tongue, kuśa as body-hair, Brahmā as head—standing at the edge of the cosmic ocean with sacrificial radiance.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Yajñavarāha
• Veda
• Yūpa
• Kratu
• Sruc (ladle)
• Agni
• Darbha
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine is presented as identical with yajña—Vedic order is not merely a ritual but a cosmic body sustaining creation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse praises Yajñavarāha as part of the Prabhāsa tīrtha-origin narrative leading to Karddamāla.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription, but it sacralizes Vedic yajña elements (yūpa, ladle, darbha, fire) as divine limbs.