Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

न दर्शयति रत्नानि जलराशी रसातलात् । यावन्न मन्दरं क्षिप्त्वा विमथ्नीमो वयं च तम्

Transliteration

na darśayati ratnāni jalarāśī rasātalāt | yāvanna mandaraṃ kṣiptvā vimathnīmo vayaṃ ca tam

Translation

„Die gewaltige Meeresflut zeigt ihre Juwelen aus den Tiefen Rasātalas nicht, solange wir nicht den Mandara hineinwerfen und ihn churnen.“

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• दर्शयति: shows, causes to be seen
• दर्शयति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) [णिच् causative: दर्शय-]
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रत्यय (causative)

• रत्नानि: gems
• रत्नानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• जलराशीः: the mass of water, ocean
• जलराशीः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + राशि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• रसातलात्: from Rasātala (netherworld)
• रसातलात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रसातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• यावत्: until, as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Temporal relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध)
• Form: अव्यय; यावत्-शब्दः (correlative: 'as long as/until')

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• मन्दरम्: Mandara (mountain)
• मन्दरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• क्षिप्त्वा: having thrown/placed
• क्षिप्त्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाले (having done)

• विमथ्नीमः: we churn
• विमथ्नीमः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मथ् (धातु) [वि-उपसर्ग]
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तम्: that (it/him)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (Pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual speaker within the Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Samudra-manthana metaphor: the ocean refuses to show jewels from Rasātala until Mandara is cast in and churning begins.

Characters & Entities

• Jalarāśi (ocean)
• Rasātala
• Mandara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hidden treasures—material or spiritual—manifest through disciplined effort and collective striving, not passivity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya in the Prabhāsa sacred geography, using cosmic myth to intensify the Mahātmya tone.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed; the verse uses mythic analogy (ocean-churning) to teach principle.