Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

प्रह्लाद उवाच । प्रहरस्व प्रथमं मां करिष्ये वचनं गुरो । स्तौमि विष्णुमहं येन त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम्

Transliteration

prahlāda uvāca | praharasva prathamaṃ māṃ kariṣye vacanaṃ guro | staumi viṣṇumahaṃ yena trailokyaṃ sacarācaram

Translation

Prahlāda sprach: „Schlage mich zuerst; ich werde dein Wort erfüllen, o Guru. Ich preise Viṣṇu—durch den die drei Welten samt allem Beweglichen und Unbeweglichen getragen werden.“

Word by Word

• prahlādaḥ: Prahlāda
• prahlādaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• praharasva: strike (me)
• praharasva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• prathamaṃ: first
• prathamaṃ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्ययवत् (adverbial accusative)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kariṣye: I will do/fulfil
• kariṣye: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• vacanaṃ: the command/word
• vacanaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• guro: of the teacher / O teacher
• guro: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (गुरोः); संबोधनार्थे अपि प्रयोगः सम्भवति

• staumi: I praise
• staumi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √stu (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• viṣṇum: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• yena: by whom/through whom
• yena: Karana/Hetu (Means/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक-सर्वनाम

• trai-lokyaṃ: the three worlds
• trai-lokyaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रयः लोकाः)

• sa-cara-acaram: with the moving and the unmoving
• sa-cara-acaram: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + cara (प्रातिपदिक) + acara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (चर + अचर), 'स' सहार्थक-पूर्वपद; विशेषणम् (त्रैलोक्यम्)

Speaker

Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutor/pilgrims (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prahlāda, bruised yet radiant, asks to be struck first and then proclaims Viṣṇu’s praise as the sustainer of all three worlds; a cosmic backdrop hints at moving and unmoving beings.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Viṣṇu
• Trailokya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True discipleship and fearlessness arise from unwavering devotion to Viṣṇu, even under threat.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, framing the teaching within the holiness of Vastrāpatha and the broader Prabhāsa sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse emphasizes stuti (praise) as a devotional act.