Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 196

Devanagari script

उमा प्रोवाच चेन्द्रादीन्ब्रह्मविष्णुगणांस्तथा । इदानीं किं मया कार्यं भवद्भिः शिववर्जितैः

Transliteration

umā provāca cendrādīnbrahmaviṣṇugaṇāṃstathā | idānīṃ kiṃ mayā kāryaṃ bhavadbhiḥ śivavarjitaiḥ

Translation

Umā sprach zu Indra und den Übrigen, ebenso zu den Scharen Brahmās und Viṣṇus: „Was habe ich jetzt noch mit euch zu schaffen, da ihr ohne Śiva seid?“

Word by Word

• umā: Umā
• umā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: umā (उमा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• provāca: said, spoke
• provāca: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• indrādīn: Indra and others
• indrādīn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (इन्द्र) + ādi (आदि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); बहुवचन; ‘इन्द्र-आदि’ (Indra and others)

• brahma-viṣṇu-gaṇān: Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and the hosts (of gods)
• brahma-viṣṇu-gaṇān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (ब्रह्मन्) + viṣṇu (विष्णु) + gaṇa (गण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समासः (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and the hosts)

• tathā: also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/तुल्यत्व (also/likewise)

• idānīm: now
• idānīm: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: idānīm (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• kim: what
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana (Instrument/Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• kāryam: to be done; duty
• kāryam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (कार्य प्रातिपदिक; कृ धातोः यत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc); एकवचन

• bhavadbhiḥ: by you (all)
• bhavadbhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/Association/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (भवत् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; आदरार्थ-प्रयोग (polite ‘you’)

• śiva-varjitaiḥ: devoid of Śiva
• śiva-varjitaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva (शिव) + varjita (वर्जित; √vṛj/varj ‘to exclude’ क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; विशेषण; ‘शिवेन वर्जित’ (devoid of Śiva)

Speaker

Umā (Pārvatī/Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra and the other devas; Brahmā- and Viṣṇu-gaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Umā addresses Indra and the assembled hosts of Brahmā and Viṣṇu with a sharp, sorrow-tinged rebuke: without Śiva they are of no use; devas stand chastened amid lingering agitation.

Characters & Entities

• Umā
• Indra
• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse emphasizes Śiva as the central axis of this sacred episode; without alignment to the divine source, even great powers lose efficacy.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpathakṣetra, within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a devotional-theological rebuke within the narrative.