Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

चतुर्भुजं शंखगदासिधारिणं पीतांबरं कौस्तुभ लाञ्छितं सदा । स्मरामि विष्णुं जगदेकनायकं ददाति मुक्तिं स्मृतमात्र एव यः

Transliteration

caturbhujaṃ śaṃkhagadāsidhāriṇaṃ pītāṃbaraṃ kaustubha lāñchitaṃ sadā | smarāmi viṣṇuṃ jagadekanāyakaṃ dadāti muktiṃ smṛtamātra eva yaḥ

Translation

Ich gedenke Viṣṇus—des vierarmigen Herrn, der Muschel, Keule und Schwert trägt; in gelbe Gewänder gehüllt und stets vom Kaustubha-Juwel gezeichnet—des einzigen Herrschers des Universums, der Befreiung schenkt, sobald man seiner nur gedenkt.

Word by Word

• caturbhujaṃ: four-armed
• caturbhujaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur-bhuja (प्रातिपदिक; चतुर् + भुज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; adjective)

• śaṅkha-gadā-asi-dhāriṇam: bearing conch, mace, and sword
• śaṅkha-gadā-asi-dhāriṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaṅkha + gadā + asi + dhārin (प्रातिपदिक; धृ(धातु) + णिनि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (masculine accusative singular; adjective)

• pītāṃbaram: wearing yellow garments
• pītāṃbaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pīta-ambara (प्रातिपदिक; पी(धातु)→पीत + अम्बर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (masculine accusative singular; adjective)

• kaustubha-lāñchitam: marked with the Kaustubha (gem)
• kaustubha-lāñchitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaustubha + lāñchita (प्रातिपदिक; लाञ्छ्(धातु)→लाञ्छित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (masculine accusative singular; adjective)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• smarāmi: I remember
• smarāmi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद (I remember)

• viṣṇum: Vishnu
• viṣṇum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (masculine accusative singular)

• jagad-eka-nāyakam: the sole lord of the world
• jagad-eka-nāyakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jagat + eka + nāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (masculine accusative singular; adjective)

• dadāti: gives
• dadāti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद (he gives)

• muktim: liberation
• muktim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (feminine accusative singular)

• smṛta-mātram: by mere remembrance
• smṛta-mātram: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: smṛta + mātra (प्रातिपदिक; स्मृ(धातु)→स्मृत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (neuter accusative singular used adverbially)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle of emphasis)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

Speaker

Prahlāda (as a devotional utterance within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous Viṣṇu appears in meditative visualization: four arms holding conch, mace, and sword; yellow garment; Kaustubha jewel shining at the chest; cosmic sovereignty conveyed with calm majesty.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Kaustubha
• Śaṅkha
• Gadā
• Asi (sword)
• Mukti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dhyāna and smaraṇa of Viṣṇu is itself liberating; remembrance is presented as a direct path to mukti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse appears within the Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya, tying Viṣṇu-bhakti to the sacred atmosphere of that kṣetra in Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is smaraṇa/dhyāna (remembrance and contemplation) of Viṣṇu’s form and attributes.