Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तदा भैरवमाहूय दूतत्वे नियुयोज ह । शिवदूती तदा ख्याता पश्चाद्योगेश्वरीति च

Transliteration

tadā bhairavamāhūya dūtatve niyuyoja ha | śivadūtī tadā khyātā paścādyogeśvarīti ca

Translation

Da rief sie Bhairava herbei und setzte ihn in das Amt ihres Boten ein. Damals wurde sie als Śivadūtī bekannt und später auch als Yogeśvarī.

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• तदा: Temporal (Kāla/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

• भैरवम्: Bhairava
• भैरवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आहूय: having summoned/called
• आहूय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ + हु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• दूतत्वे: in the role of a messenger
• दूतत्वे: Adhikarana (State/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दूतत्व (प्रातिपदिक; भाववाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• नियुयोज: appointed/assigned
• नियुयोज: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + युज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ह: indeed
• ह: Discourse marker (Padapurana/पदपूरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पदपूरण/स्मरणार्थक (expletive particle)

• शिवदूती: Śiva’s messenger (female)
• शिवदूती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव + दूती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शिवस्य दूती)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Temporal (Kāla/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

• ख्याता: was known/called
• ख्याता: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त → ख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle: ‘known/called’)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Temporal (Kāla/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (afterwards)

• योगेश्वरी: Yogēśvarī
• योगेश्वरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग + ईश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (योगस्य ईश्वरी)

• इति: thus (called)
• इति: Apposition marker (Saṃjñā-sūcaka/संज्ञा-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/नामनिर्देश (quotative)

• च: and/also
• च: Connector (Samuccaya/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within the Māhātmya (context: Īśvara/Śiva’s teaching stream)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yogeśvarī / Śivadūtī (contextual śakti-sthāna) and Bhairaveśvara (adjacent)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī summons Bhairava and appoints him as her messenger; the moment births her epithet Śivadūtī, later remembered as Yogeśvarī.

Characters & Entities

• Bhairava
• Śivadūtī
• Yogeśvarī
• Devī
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine names (nāma) encode function: the Goddess is praised through her roles—messenger-power and yogic sovereignty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative prepares the foundation for Bhairaveśvara at Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where the messenger-appointment becomes a site-marker.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is an etiological (origin) account explaining sacred names and the later establishment of worship.