Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

गोपायनं यः कुरुते जगतः सार्वलौकिकम् । स कथं भगवान्विष्णुः प्रभासक्षेत्रमाश्रितः

Transliteration

gopāyanaṃ yaḥ kurute jagataḥ sārvalaukikam | sa kathaṃ bhagavānviṣṇuḥ prabhāsakṣetramāśritaḥ

Translation

Wie kann man sagen, dass der selige Herr Viṣṇu—der das ganze Weltall allumfassend beschützt—im heiligen Feld von Prabhāsa Zuflucht nahm?

Word by Word

• गोपायनम्: protection, safeguarding
• गोपायनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपायन (प्रातिपदिक; √गुप्/√गोपाय् अर्थे ‘रक्षण’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Relative pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कुरुते: does, performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person, Singular (Ātmanepada)

• जगतः: of the world
• जगतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• सार्वलौकिकम्: universal; pertaining to all worlds
• सार्वलौकिकम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + लौकिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वेषु लोकेषु भवम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Tatpurusha, Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण — Interrogative adverb

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रभासक्षेत्रम्: the Prabhāsa sacred field
• प्रभासक्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (प्रभासस्य क्षेत्रम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Tatpurusha, Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आश्रितः: resorted to; took refuge in
• आश्रितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participle used as finite sense, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Unspecified (within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya; a questioning interlocutor addressing a Śaiva authority, indicated by vocatives like ‘Pārvatīpate’ in nearby verses)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A reverent question highlights the paradox: Viṣṇu, universal guardian, is described as ‘taking refuge’ in Prabhāsa. The scene can show Viṣṇu near a coastal shrine with devotees seeking protection.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the cosmic Protector is spoken of in relation to a tīrtha to magnify the tīrtha’s sanctity and the depth of divine līlā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsa), a major sacred region praised in the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a doctrinal question framed to highlight the māhātmya of Prabhāsa.