Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 145

Devanagari script

कृष्ण उवाच । एवमेतत्परं देव वक्तव्यं यत्तथैव तत् । अर्द्धनारीनरवपुर्यदा दृष्टो मया पुरा

Transliteration

kṛṣṇa uvāca | evametatparaṃ deva vaktavyaṃ yattathaiva tat | arddhanārīnaravapuryadā dṛṣṭo mayā purā

Translation

Kṛṣṇa sprach: „So ist es wahrlich, o höchster Herr; was du gesagt hast, ist genau so anzunehmen. Einst sah ich einmal jene Gestalt, deren Leib halb Frau und halb Mann war…“

Word by Word

• कृष्णः: Krishna
• कृष्णः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: thus)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘एतत्’ इति विषयः

• परम्: supreme / highest
• परम्: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृसमानााधिकरण/Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• वक्तव्यम्: to be spoken / should be said
• वक्तव्यम्: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृसमानााधिकरण/Predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम् (to be said)

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karman (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकः (that which)

• तथा: so
• तथा: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (so, in that manner)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphasis: indeed/just)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तदन्वयी (that)

• अर्द्धनारीनरवपुः: one whose body is half woman and half man
• अर्द्धनारीनरवपुः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्द्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + नारी (प्रातिपदिक) + नर (प्रातिपदिक) + वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-समासभावः (अर्द्धं नारी, अर्द्धं नरः यस्य वपुः)

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: when)

• दृष्टः: was seen
• दृष्टः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘seen’

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (formerly)

Speaker

Kṛṣṇa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa / Vastrāpatha (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rudra/Śiva (addressed as paraṃ deva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kṛṣṇa, hands folded, addresses the supreme Lord; behind or in memory-vision appears Ardhanārīśvara—half Śiva with jaṭā and trident, half Devī with graceful ornaments—radiating a single aura.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Śiva (implied)
• Ardhanārīśvara (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine truth is affirmed through realized testimony, pointing to the unity of complementary principles within the Supreme.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement is part of the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya in Prabhāsa, where theology supports the tīrtha’s sacred prestige.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it introduces a theophany narrative (vision of a divine form).