Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

चतुर्विंशतितत्त्वैश्च ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः । बालरूपी च नाम्नां च तत्र स्थाने स्थितः स्वयम्

Transliteration

caturviṃśatitattvaiśca brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ | bālarūpī ca nāmnāṃ ca tatra sthāne sthitaḥ svayam

Translation

Dort, verbunden mit den vierundzwanzig Prinzipien, weilt Brahmā—der Großvater der Welten—an jenem Ort selbst, nimmt eine kindliche Gestalt an und trägt berühmte Namen.

Word by Word

• caturviṃśati-tattvaiḥ: with/by the twenty-four principles
• caturviṃśati-tattvaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caturviṃśati (प्रातिपदिक) + tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/सह), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (caturviṃśateḥ tattvāni)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• loka-pitāmahaḥ: the grandsire of the worlds
• loka-pitāmahaḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक) + pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (lokānāṃ pitāmahaḥ)

• bāla-rūpī: having the form of a child
• bāla-rūpī: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bāla (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (bālaḥ rūpī)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• nāmnām: of names
• nāmnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• sthāne: in the place
• sthāne: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• sthitaḥ: abiding/standing
• sthitaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √sthā (धाातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि/स्थित-अवस्था (past participle: ‘stood/abiding’)

• svayam: himself
• svayam: Karta (Emphatic/कर्ता-बल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: svayam (अव्यय)
• Form: स्वार्थक-अव्यय (reflexive adverb)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Within Prabhāsa, Brahmā appears as a radiant child (bāla-brahmā), surrounded by symbolic rings of 24 tattvas—elements, senses, mind—depicted as lotus-petals or mandala segments.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Brahmā (Lokapitāmaha)
• Caturviṃśati-tattva (twenty-four principles)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is shown by direct divine presence—Prabhāsa is portrayed as a living seat of cosmic principles and Brahmā’s manifestation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, described as a locale where Brahmā himself abides.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it describes divine residence rather than a specific vrata or rite.