Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

देवा ऊचुः । नमस्ते देवदेवेश भक्तानां चाभयंकर । नमस्ते सर्ववासाय सर्वयज्ञमयाय च

Transliteration

devā ūcuḥ | namaste devadeveśa bhaktānāṃ cābhayaṃkara | namaste sarvavāsāya sarvayajñamayāya ca

Translation

The Devas said: Salutations to you, Lord of the gods, who grant fearlessness to your devotees. Salutations to you, the indweller of all, and to you who are the very essence of every sacrifice.

Word by Word

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (nominative), बहुवचन (plural)

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (plural)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Discourse particle (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय-निपात (indeclinable interjection used in salutations)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (dative), एकवचन (singular)

• देवदेवेश: O Lord of gods
• देवदेवेश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: ‘lord of gods’), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन (singular)

• भक्तानाम्: of devotees
• भक्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी (genitive), बहुवचन (plural)

• च: and
• च: Connector (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अभयङ्कर: O giver of fearlessness
• अभयङ्कर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभय (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘maker of fearlessness’), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन (singular)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Discourse particle (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय-निपात (salutation particle)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी (dative), एकवचन (singular)

• सर्ववासाय: to the all-abiding one
• सर्ववासाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘dwelling in all/abiding everywhere’), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), चतुर्थी (dative), एकवचन (singular)

• सर्वयज्ञमयाय: to the one who is all-sacrifice in essence
• सर्वयज्ञमयाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘consisting of all sacrifices’), पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), चतुर्थी (dative), एकवचन (singular)

• च: and
• च: Connector (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Devas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda—Vālakhilya-āśrama liṅga-sthāna

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas stand before the liṅga with folded hands, chanting: ‘O Devadeveśa, giver of fearlessness; indweller of all; essence of every sacrifice.’ The liṅga radiates calm authority.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Śiva (Devadeveśa)
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is approached as the supreme refuge: he grants abhaya (fearlessness) and pervades all beings, while also being the inner reality of ritual (yajña).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The praise occurs in the Arbuda sacred narrative context (Vālakhilyāśrama region), where the Liṅga’s presence sanctifies the locale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is commanded, but yajña is interpreted theologically: the Lord is ‘sarvayajñamaya’—the essence behind all sacrificial worship.