Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

ददर्श तत्र देवेशं सहस्रशिरसं प्रभुम् । तथा विष्णुं चक्रपाणिं दुर्वाससमकल्मषम्

Transliteration

dadarśa tatra deveśaṃ sahasraśirasaṃ prabhum | tathā viṣṇuṃ cakrapāṇiṃ durvāsasamakalmaṣam

Translation

There he beheld the Lord of the gods, the sovereign with a thousand heads; and he also saw Viṣṇu, bearing the discus—stainless and pure, like Durvāsas in the radiance of his ascetic power.

Word by Word

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• देव-ईशम्: Lord of the gods
• देव-ईशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशः)

• सहस्र-शिरसम्: thousand-headed
• सहस्र-शिरसम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्र (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + शिरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सहस्रं शिरांसि यस्य)

• प्रभुम्: the Lord
• प्रभुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• तथा: also, likewise
• तथा: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक (also/likewise)

• विष्णुम्: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• चक्र-पाणिम्: having the discus in hand
• चक्र-पाणिम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चक्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पाणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—बहुव्रीहि (चक्रः पाणौ यस्य)

• दुर्वासस्-अमकल्मषम्: spotless like Durvāsas
• दुर्वासस्-अमकल्मषम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्वासस् (प्रातिपदिक) + अमकल्मष (प्रातिपदिक; अ-कल्मष)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—कर्मधारय (दुर्वासस इव अमकल्मषः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The daitya beholds the thousand-headed sovereign and Viṣṇu with discus, radiant and stainless, standing like a pillar of ascetic brilliance.

Characters & Entities

• Deveśa
• Viṣṇu
• Durvāsas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine can be directly encountered as the sinless, sovereign reality—Viṣṇu and the supreme Lord are portrayed as pure and awe-inspiring, worthy of reverent recognition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is the implied sacred setting within the Dvārakā Māhātmya, emphasizing the city as a locus of divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated in this verse; it focuses on darśana (vision) and recognition of divine purity.