Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तस्माद्यच्चाधिकं प्रोक्तं क्षेत्रं वस्त्रापथं त्वया । शृण्वंत्या च मया पूर्वं न पृष्टं कारणं तदा

Transliteration

tasmādyaccādhikaṃ proktaṃ kṣetraṃ vastrāpathaṃ tvayā | śṛṇvaṃtyā ca mayā pūrvaṃ na pṛṣṭaṃ kāraṇaṃ tadā

Translation

Daher, da du Vastrāpatha als ein noch vortrefflicheres kṣetra verkündet hast, fragte ich—obwohl ich es früher hörte—damals nicht nach dem Grund.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore / from that
• tasmāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे ‘therefore/from that’

• yat: which (that)
• yat: Sambandha (Relative connector)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• adhikam: additional, more
• adhikam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (of yat/proktam)

• proktam: said, declared
• proktam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘said/declared’

• kṣetram: the sacred field/place
• kṣetram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vastrāpatham: Vastrāpatha (name of the place)
• vastrāpatham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vastrāpatha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vastrāṇām āpathaḥ → vastrāpathaḥ)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• śṛṇvantyā: while (I was) listening
• śṛṇvantyā: Kāla/Avadhāraṇa (Circumstantial: while)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘while listening’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• mayā: by me / I
• mayā: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• pūrvam: previously
• pūrvam: Kāla (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: formerly/before)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• pṛṣṭam: asked
• pṛṣṭam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prach (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘asked’

• kāraṇam: reason, cause
• kāraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: then)

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciple, having listened earlier, now bows and asks the reason for Vastrāpatha’s exceptional status; behind them, a map-like vision of Prabhāsa with a highlighted sacred spot.

Characters & Entities

• Vastrāpatha Kṣetra
• Prabhāsa (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual geography invites inquiry: beyond listing tīrthas, one should seek the underlying cause of a place’s liberating power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha Kṣetra, described as ‘more excellent’ within the Prabhāsa sacred complex.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a narrative pivot from description to theological explanation (kāraṇa).