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Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 48

कथं देव न जानासि यदुक्तं ब्रह्मणा तदा । दशावतारास्ते रंतुं मत्स्यकूर्मादयः पुरा

kathaṃ deva na jānāsi yaduktaṃ brahmaṇā tadā | daśāvatārāste raṃtuṃ matsyakūrmādayaḥ purā

„O Gott, wie kannst du nicht wissen, was Brahmā damals sprach: dass deine zehn Avatāras, beginnend mit Matsya und Kūrma, einst zum göttlichen Spiel (Līlā) erschienen?“

कथम्how?
कथम्:
Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootकथम् (अव्यय)
Formप्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)
देवO god
देव:
Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
TypeNoun
Rootदेव (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन
not
:
Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootन (अव्यय)
Formनिषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)
जानासिyou know
जानासि:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootज्ञा (धातु)
Formलट् (Present), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन
यत्that which
यत्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootयद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (relative pronoun)
उक्तम्said, spoken
उक्तम्:
Karma (Object-complement/कर्म)
TypeAdjective
Rootवच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘यत्’ विशेषण
ब्रह्मणाby Brahmā
ब्रह्मणा:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन
तदाthen
तदा:
Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतदा (अव्यय)
Formकालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)
दशावताराःthe ten incarnations
दशावताराः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootदश (संख्या) + अवतार (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (दश + अवतार)
तेyour
ते:
Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
TypeNoun
Rootयुष्मद्/तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (genitive: ‘of you/your’)
रन्तुम्to sport, to play
रन्तुम्:
Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
TypeVerb
Rootरम् (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त)
Formतुमुनन्त (infinitive), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)
मत्स्यकूर्मादयःMatsya, Kūrma, and others
मत्स्यकूर्मादयः:
Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootमत्स्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कूर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘मत्स्य-कूर्म-आदयः’ = मत्स्यश्च कूर्मश्च इत्यादयः (आदि-समास/समाहार)
पुराformerly, in olden times
पुरा:
Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपुरा (अव्यय)
Formकालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Unspecified speaker addressing a deity (likely in the ongoing dispute narrative; not explicit in snippet)

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Listener: Addressed to a deity ('deva') in admonitory tone

Scene: A speaker admonishes a deity by recalling Brahmā’s earlier statement: the ten avatāras—Matsya, Kūrma, and others—appeared as divine sport.

B
Brahmā
D
Daśāvatāra
M
Matsya
K
Kūrma

FAQs

Divine incarnations arise for the protection and guidance of the world, and also as līlā within cosmic order.

The verse is part of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya, a sacred-geography context where such theological reminders support pilgrimage faith.

No ritual instruction is present in this verse.