Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । एवमुक्ता तु सा देवी देवैरिंद्रपुरोगमैः । कारुण्यान्निजदेहं त्वं तदा मर्द्दितवत्यसि

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | evamuktā tu sā devī devairiṃdrapurogamaiḥ | kāruṇyānnijadehaṃ tvaṃ tadā mardditavatyasi

Translation

Īśvara sprach: So von den Göttern, mit Indra an der Spitze, angerufen, drückte jene Göttin aus Mitgefühl damals ihre eigene Gestalt nieder und bezwang sie.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• उक्ता: addressed/spoken to
• उक्ता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सा देवी’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• तु: then/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयबोधक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

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

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• देवैः: by the gods
• देवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• इन्द्रपुरोगमैः: with Indra at the forefront
• इन्द्रपुरोगमैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरोगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘देवैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (इन्द्रः पुरोगमः येषां ते)

• कारुण्यात्: out of compassion
• कारुण्यात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• निजदेहम्: her own body
• निजदेहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (निजः देहः)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, एकवचन, प्रथमा

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-viseshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: then)

• मर्दितवती: (she) crushed/massaged
• मर्दितवती: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृद्/मर्द् (धातु) → मर्दितवत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्तवत्-प्रत्ययान्त (perfect participle active), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि—‘one who has crushed/massaged’

• असि: are
• असि: Kriya (Auxiliary/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; सहायक-क्रिया (copula)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somanātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied interlocutor within Prabhāsa-māhātmya frame (traditionally sages/devotees)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra and the assembled devas supplicate; the Goddess, moved by compassion, presses/subdues her own form—an act of self-contained power and restraint preceding a miraculous manifestation.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Indra
• Devāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine compassion responds to sincere prayer: Devī moderates her manifestation for the welfare of supplicants.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where the gods’ stuti and Devī’s compassionate intervention are narrated as part of the kṣetra’s greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it records the fruit of prayer—Devī’s compassionate action.