Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 159

Devanagari script

विष्णोर्देहसमुद्भूता दिव्यरूपा वरस्त्रियः । अन्धको नैव जानाति कैषा गौरी नु पार्वती

Transliteration

viṣṇordehasamudbhūtā divyarūpā varastriyaḥ | andhako naiva jānāti kaiṣā gaurī nu pārvatī

Translation

Aus Viṣṇus eigenem Leib gingen vortreffliche Frauen von göttlicher Gestalt hervor. Andhaka vermochte keineswegs zu erkennen, welche Gaurī und welche Pārvatī war.

Word by Word

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• देह-समुद्भूता: arisen from the body
• देह-समुद्भूता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + समुद्भूत (कृदन्त; सम्+उद्+√भू (धातु))
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘समुद्भूत’ = arisen; विशेषण

• दिव्य-रूपा: of divine form
• दिव्य-रूपा: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• वर-स्त्रियः: excellent women
• वर-स्त्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक) + स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• अन्धकः: Andhaka
• अन्धकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• एव: indeed/at all
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• जानाति: knows
• जानाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• का: who?
• का: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• एषा: this (woman)
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक-सर्वनाम

• गौरी: Gaurī
• गौरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नु: indeed?/then?
• नु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नु (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न/अनुनयार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative/emphatic particle)

• पार्वती: Pārvatī
• पार्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From Viṣṇu’s body arise many divine women, each splendid; Andhaka stands bewildered, unable to identify the true Gaurī among them.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Andhaka
• Gaurī
• Pārvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ego and lust cloud discernment; divine māyā confounds the adharmic and preserves the sanctity of the Goddess.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha Kṣetra is glorified through the protective līlā occurring in its sacred setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the emphasis is on narrative māhātmya and the defeat of adharmic intent.