Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 105

Devanagari script

भूमिं विगाहते यत्र तत्र विद्यात्पराभवम् । अर्चिष्मान्पिंगलशिखः सर्पिःकांचनसप्रभः

Transliteration

bhūmiṃ vigāhate yatra tatra vidyātparābhavam | arciṣmānpiṃgalaśikhaḥ sarpiḥkāṃcanasaprabhaḥ

Translation

Wherever the fire seems to plunge into the earth, one should know defeat and loss there. But the auspicious fire is radiant, with tawny flames, shining like ghee and gold.

Word by Word

• bhūmim: the ground/earth
• bhūmim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• vigāhate: enters/sinks into
• vigāhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + gāh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-सम्बन्ध (relative adverb): ‘where’

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

• vidyāt: should know/understand
• vidyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• parābhavam: defeat, downfall
• parābhavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parābhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• arciṣmān: flaming, radiant
• arciṣmān: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: arciṣmant (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• piṅgala-śikhaḥ: having tawny flames
• piṅgala-śikhaḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: piṅgala (प्रातिपदिक) + śikhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय: ‘पिङ्गला शिखा यस्य’

• sarpiḥ: ghee
• sarpiḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpis (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• kāñcana-sa-prabhaḥ: golden in appearance
• kāñcana-sa-prabhaḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāñcana (प्रातिपदिक) + sa (सह/स- ‘with/like’) + prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष: ‘काञ्चनसदृशी प्रभा यस्य’ (golden-lustrous)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two contrasting homa fires at Prabhāsa: one seems to collapse downward into the earth (inauspicious), while another rises radiant with tawny-golden flames like ghee and gold (auspicious).

Characters & Entities

• Agni (implied)
• Ghee (sarpiḥ)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma values discernment—recognizing auspicious and inauspicious signs before acting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, presented as a place where correct ritual knowledge yields spiritual and worldly welfare.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Treat a fire that ‘dives’ into the ground as inauspicious; prefer a radiant, tawny, ghee-and-gold-like flame.