Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा चिंतयामास सूक्ष्मान्धर्मान्स वामनः । अल्पायासान्सुबहुलान्पुत्रलक्ष्मीप्रदायकान्

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā ciṃtayāmāsa sūkṣmāndharmānsa vāmanaḥ | alpāyāsānsubahulānputralakṣmīpradāyakān

Translation

Als er es erblickte, sann Vāmana über feine Formen des Dharma nach—Übungen, die wenig Mühe verlangen und doch reichen Ertrag bringen, die Segen an Nachkommenschaft und Wohlstand verleihen.

Word by Word

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

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund); √दृश् (having seen)

• ciṃtayāmāsa: pondered, thought
• ciṃtayāmāsa: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cint (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परिप्रयोग (periphrastic perfect)

• sūkṣmān: subtle
• sūkṣmān: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūkṣma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of dharmān)

• dharmān: duties, dharmas
• dharmān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन

• sa: he
• sa: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• vāmanaḥ: Vāmana
• vāmanaḥ: Kartā (Subject/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāmana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेष्य (apposition to sa)

• alpāyāsān: requiring little effort
• alpāyāsān: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: alpa + āyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (अल्पः आयासः येषां) विशेषण (of dharmān, understood)

• su-bahulān: very abundant
• su-bahulān: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + bahula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन; अव्ययीभाव (सु- = very) विशेषण

• putra-lakṣmī-pradāyakān: granting sons and prosperity
• putra-lakṣmī-pradāyakān: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: putra + lakṣmī + pradāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (पुत्रं च लक्ष्मीṃ च प्रददाति इति) विशेषण (of dharmān, understood)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vāmana stands contemplatively at a sacred spot, eyes lowered in reflection, sensing subtle dharmas that grant progeny and prosperity; the landscape hints at coastal Prabhāsa with a river’s course toward the sea.

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana
• Dharma
• Putra
• Lakṣmī
• Ujjayanta (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Within tīrtha-context, even small, well-directed dharmic acts can yield great spiritual and worldly blessings when performed with sincerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa/Saurāṣṭra sacred landscape connected to Vastrāpatha-kṣetra and the sight of Ujjayanta (context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite is named; the verse points to ‘subtle dharmas’—accessible practices that grant abundant merit, including progeny and prosperity.