Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

ययातिरुवाच । कथं महत्त्वमगमत्पूर्वं तत्र विनायकः । कस्मिन्काले द्विजश्रेष्ठ सर्वं विस्तरतो वद

Transliteration

yayātiruvāca | kathaṃ mahattvamagamatpūrvaṃ tatra vināyakaḥ | kasminkāle dvijaśreṣṭha sarvaṃ vistarato vada

Translation

Yayāti said: How did Vināyaka there formerly attain such greatness? At what time, O best of Brahmins, did it happen? Tell me everything in detail.

Word by Word

• ययातिः: Yayāti
• ययातिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ययाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• महत्त्वम्: greatness
• महत्त्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अगमत्: attained/went to
• अगमत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ्-लकार (Aorist), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• पूर्वम्: formerly/earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• विनायकः: Vināyaka (Gaṇeśa)
• विनायकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विनायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कस्मिन्: in which
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• काले: time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• द्विजश्रेष्ठ: O best of twice-born (brāhmaṇa)
• द्विजश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्विजानां श्रेष्ठः)

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विस्तरतः: in detail
• विस्तरतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विस्तरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय (manner adverb: ‘in detail’)

• वद: tell/speak
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Yayāti

Characters & Entities

• Yayāti
• Vināyaka (Gaṇeśa)
• Pulastya (implied addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sites gain authority through remembered origins; inquiry (praśna) is honored as the doorway to understanding tīrtha-mahātmyas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahāvināyaka’s locale in Arbuda Khaṇḍa, whose origin and greatness Yayāti seeks to learn.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a request for the narrative of origin (kathā) and the time (kāla) of the tīrtha’s/temple’s greatness.