Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

देहावतारान्वक्ष्यामि प्रारंभात्प्रथमान्प्रिये । पञ्चमः पंचदश्यां स त्रेतायां तु बभूव ह

Transliteration

dehāvatārānvakṣyāmi prāraṃbhātprathamānpriye | pañcamaḥ paṃcadaśyāṃ sa tretāyāṃ tu babhūva ha

Translation

Beloved, I shall recount the embodied descents (avatāras) from the very beginning, the earliest of them. The fifth occurred in the fifteenth count, and truly it took place in the Tretā age.

Word by Word

• देह-अवतारान्: embodied descents/incarnations
• देह-अवतारान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक) + अवतार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (देहस्य अवतारः), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• वक्ष्यामि: I will tell
• वक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• प्रारम्भात्: from the beginning
• प्रारम्भात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रारम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; ablative ‘from the beginning’

• प्रथमान्: the first (ones)
• प्रथमान्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; qualifies देहावतारान्

• प्रिये: O dear (lady)
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन (Vocative), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, एकवचन

• पञ्चमः: the fifth
• पञ्चमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-विशेषण, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• पञ्चदश्याम्: in the fifteenth (period)
• पञ्चदश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चदशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; locative ‘in the fifteenth (yuga/period)’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• त्रेतायाम्: in the Tretā age
• त्रेतायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; locative ‘in the Tretā (age)’

• तु: indeed; but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• बभूव: became; was
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परिपूर्णभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ह: indeed (emphasis)
• ह: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्मरण/प्रसिद्ध्यर्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Unspecified (narrator introducing a list of Viṣṇu’s human/embodied avatāras)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequential frieze of Viṣṇu’s embodied descents begins to appear like panels on a temple wall; the narrator indicates ‘from the beginning,’ while Devī listens. A highlighted marker notes ‘the fifth’ and ‘in Tretā,’ suggesting a counted series.

Characters & Entities

• Avatāra (embodied descent)
• Tretā-yuga
• Viṣṇu (from prior verse context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Avatāras are presented as purposeful interventions in history, restoring dharma in specific yugas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger discourse is within Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya; this verse is about avatāra enumeration rather than a single tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse introduces a doctrinal-historical list.