Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

अन्येषु सर्व स्थानेषु वृद्धरूपी पितामहः । कथं च समनुप्राप्तो माहात्म्यं तस्य किं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

anyeṣu sarva sthāneṣu vṛddharūpī pitāmahaḥ | kathaṃ ca samanuprāpto māhātmyaṃ tasya kiṃ smṛtam

Translation

In all other places, Pitāmaha (Brahmā) appears in an aged form. How did he come to be present here in this manner, and what greatness of his is remembered here?

Word by Word

• अन्येषु: in other
• अन्येषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of ‘sthāneṣu’)

• सर्व: all
• सर्व: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of ‘sthāneṣu’)

• स्थानेषु: in places
• स्थानेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), बहुवचन

• वृद्धरूपी: having an aged form
• वृद्धरूपी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (वृद्धः रूपं यस्य)

• पितामहः: Grandfather (Brahmā)
• पितामहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• समनुप्राप्तः: arrived, came
• समनुप्राप्तः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अनु + प्राप् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (arrived)

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness, glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• स्मृतम्: remembered, recorded (as)
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘किम्’/‘माहात्म्यम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Bāla-Pitāmaha sthāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The narrator/sage who previously spoke (implicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī contrasts the common aged Brahmā icon with the surprising child Brahmā of Prabhāsa: two juxtaposed images—an elderly four-faced creator with beard and a radiant child-sage with four-faced aura—while the narrator prepares to recount the legend.

Characters & Entities

• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Prabhāsa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine manifestations vary by sacred geography; each kṣetra holds a distinct remembered tradition (smṛti) and purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra is implied as the exceptional site where Pitāmaha’s form differs from other locations.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it requests the narrative origin and the specific māhātmya associated with Pitāmaha at this site.