Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

स समृद्धिमवाप्नोति दुरापामकृतात्मभिः । तत्रैव संस्थितं पश्येच्छ्रीमुखं विवरप्रियम्

Transliteration

sa samṛddhimavāpnoti durāpāmakṛtātmabhiḥ | tatraiva saṃsthitaṃ paśyecchrīmukhaṃ vivarapriyam

Translation

He attains prosperity—hard to obtain for the undisciplined. There itself, one should behold Śrīmukha, the deity fond of the sacred cave (vivara).

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (nominative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• samṛddhim: prosperity
• samṛddhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samṛddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• avāpnoti: attains
• avāpnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular)

• durāpām: hard to obtain
• durāpām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur- (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + āpya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √āp, potential/gerundive sense)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular); कर्मधारयः: दुराप्या (hard-to-obtain)

• akṛta-ātmabhiḥ: by those of undisciplined nature (i.e., unattainable for them)
• akṛta-ātmabhiḥ: Comparison/Agent-exclusion (अपादान-भाव/तुलना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: a- (नञ्) + kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (instrumental), बहुवचनम् (plural); बहुव्रीहिः: अकृत आत्मा येषां ते (undisciplined persons)

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

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• saṃsthitam: standing/located
• saṃsthitam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-√sthā (धातु) → saṃsthita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; past passive participle)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

• paśyet: should see
• paśyet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/सम्भावना), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular)

• śrīmukham: Śrīmukha (proper name) / the auspicious-faced one
• śrīmukham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular); कर्मधारयः: श्रीमत् मुखम्

• vivara-priyam: fond of caves/crevices
• vivara-priyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vivara (प्रातिपदिक) + priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), एकवचनम् (singular); तत्पुरुषः: विवरं प्रियं यस्य तत् (as adjective to śrīmukham)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śrīmukha (vivara-priya)

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘priye’ interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee, having worshipped the Mothers, receives ‘samṛddhi’ symbolized by overflowing grain and coins; then the path turns toward a rocky cleft/cave where a radiant-faced deity ‘Śrīmukha’ is enshrined.

Characters & Entities

• Śrīmukha
• Vivara (cave/cleft)
• Mātṛs (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-discipline joined to sacred worship yields tangible and intangible prosperity, and leads the pilgrim onward to further holy darśana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śrīmukha associated with a vivara (cave/cleft) within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

After (or alongside) the Mothers’ worship, one should take darśana of Śrīmukha situated at the cave.