Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

यच्च धर्मार्थकामानां मोक्षस्य च रसातले । माहात्म्यं कथयामास कूर्मरूपी जनार्दनः

Transliteration

yacca dharmārthakāmānāṃ mokṣasya ca rasātale | māhātmyaṃ kathayāmāsa kūrmarūpī janārdanaḥ

Translation

And the glory of dharma, artha, kāma, and also mokṣa—taught in Rasātala—was narrated by Janārdana in the form of the Tortoise (Kūrma).

Word by Word

• यत्: which (that which)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• धर्मार्थकामानाम्: of dharma, artha, and kāma
• धर्मार्थकामानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + अर्थ + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (Masculine, Genitive, Plural)

• मोक्षस्य: of liberation
• मोक्षस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• रसातले: in Rasātala (netherworld)
• रसातले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रसातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• माहात्म्यम्: greatness; sacred glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• कथयामास: narrated/told
• कथयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (णिजन्त; कथ् (धातु) + णिच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular)

• कूर्मरूपी: having the form of a tortoise
• कूर्मरूपी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कूर्म + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कूर्मरूपः यस्य/कूर्मरूपिन्) (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims within the narrative frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Janārdana as Kūrma in the nether realm (Rasātala), surrounded by sages/serpents and luminous śāstric scrolls, expounding the four puruṣārthas with mokṣa as the summit.

Characters & Entities

• Janārdana
• Kūrma (tortoise form)
• Rasātala
• Dharma
• Artha
• Kāma
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All human aims culminate in mokṣa when grounded in divine instruction; Purāṇas preserve that guidance through avatāra narratives.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative remains within Prabhāsa-māhātmya; this verse highlights a cosmic locale (Rasātala) rather than a terrestrial tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it references a doctrinal narration by Kūrma-form Janārdana.