Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

देवस्याग्रे सदा स्थेयं यावदिंद्राश्चतुर्द्दश । एवमस्त्विति तं प्रोच्य तथा चक्रे हरिस्तदा

Transliteration

devasyāgre sadā stheyaṃ yāvadiṃdrāścaturddaśa | evamastviti taṃ procya tathā cakre haristadā

Translation

„Stehe stets vor der Gottheit, solange die vierzehn Indras währen.“ Zu ihm sprach Hari: „So sei es“, und tat es sogleich genau so.

Word by Word

• devasya: of the god
• devasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• agre: in front
• agre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक

• stheyam: should remain/stand
• stheyam: Kriya (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) → stheya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय (to be stood/should remain)

• yāvat: until
• yāvat: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधिपर्यन्तार्थक (until/as long as)

• indrāḥ: Indras
• indrāḥ: Karta (Subject of implied 'are'/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• caturdaśa: fourteen
• caturdaśa: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturdaśa (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याविशेषण; प्रथमा, बहुवचनार्थे (qualifying indrāḥ)

• evam: thus
• evam: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• astu: let it be
• astu: Kriya (Assent/आशीर्वाद-आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्ति/उद्धरणचिह्न (quotative)

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• procya: having said
• procya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pra+vac (धातु) → procya (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव (absolutive/gerund)

• tathā: accordingly
• tathā: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (so/accordingly)

• cakre: did/made
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• hariḥ: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• hariḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

Speaker

Sārasvata

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (within Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee receives a divine injunction to remain stationed before the deity; Hari assents and establishes the attendant’s perpetual post at the shrine threshold.

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Narasiṃha (implied as Hari’s form)
• Deva (the temple deity)
• Fourteen Indras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine promises in a tīrtha context are enduring—measured in cosmic time—and ensure stable protection for devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpathakṣetra, portrayed as having a lasting divine guardianship stationed before the Deity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The establishment of a permanent protective presence before the Deity (devasya agre sadā stheyaṃ), functioning as an ongoing safeguard for the tīrtha.