Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

नमो मायापटच्छन्न जगद्धात्रे महात्मने । संसारसागरोत्तार ज्ञानपोतप्रदायिने । अकुंठमतये धात्रे सर्गस्थित्यंत कर्मणे

Transliteration

namo māyāpaṭacchanna jagaddhātre mahātmane | saṃsārasāgarottāra jñānapotapradāyine | akuṃṭhamataye dhātre sargasthityaṃta karmaṇe

Translation

Ehrerbietung dem Großgesinnten, dem Träger der Welt, vom Vorhang der māyā verhüllt. Ehrerbietung dem Spender des Wissensbootes, das über den Ozean des saṃsāra trägt; dem Ordner ungehinderter Weisheit, dessen Werk Schöpfung, Erhaltung und Auflösung ist.

Word by Word

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• माया-पट-छन्न: covered by the cloth of māyā
• माया-पट-छन्न: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक) + पट (प्रातिपदिक) + छन्न (कृदन्त; √छद्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) छन्न = covered; विशेषणम् (of the addressed deity)

• जगत्-धात्रे: to the sustainer of the world
• जगत्-धात्रे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; धातृ-शब्दः (ṛ-stem), रूपम्—धात्रे

• महात्मने: to the great-souled one
• महात्मने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• संसार-सागर-उत्तार: (the) deliverance across the ocean of saṃsāra
• संसार-सागर-उत्तार: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संसार (प्रातिपदिक) + सागर (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्—'one who enables crossing of the ocean of saṃsāra' (uttāra as 'crossing/deliverance')

• ज्ञान-पोत-प्रदायिने: to the giver of the boat of knowledge
• ज्ञान-पोत-प्रदायिने: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + पोत (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; प्रदायिन्-शब्दः (in-stem)

• अकुंठ-मतये: to (him) of unobstructed intellect
• अकुंठ-मतये: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अकुंठ (प्रातिपदिक) + मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; मति-शब्दः (i-stem), रूपम्—मतये

• धात्रे: to the creator/sustainer
• धात्रे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; धातृ (ṛ-stem)

• सर्ग-स्थिति-अन्त: creation, maintenance, and end
• सर्ग-स्थिति-अन्त: Sambandha (Appositional/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थिति (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः (creation, maintenance, and end) used attributively

• कर्मणे: to (him whose) act/function
• कर्मणे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; कर्मन्-शब्दः (an-stem)

Speaker

Ṛṣis

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast ocean labeled saṃsāra; a luminous boat made of knowledge (jñāna-pota) offered by Viṣṇu; a translucent curtain (māyā-paṭa) partly drawn, revealing the sustainer behind it; cosmic cycles depicted as a wheel of creation-preservation-dissolution.

Characters & Entities

• Jagaddhātṛ
• Dhātṛ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation is framed as crossing saṃsāra by divine grace through jñāna and devotion to the world-sustaining Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, whose māhātmya includes hymns portraying the Lord as the savior across saṃsāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse recommends contemplative devotion—seeking jñāna under divine shelter.