Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । स गन्धर्वस्तदा देवि आरिराधयिषुर्भवम् । सोमवारव्रतंनाम पप्रच्छ मुनिसत्तमम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | sa gandharvastadā devi ārirādhayiṣurbhavam | somavāravrataṃnāma papraccha munisattamam

Translation

Īśvara said: “Then, O Goddess, that Gandharva—wishing to propitiate Bhava (Śiva)—questioned the best of sages about the vow called the Somavāra-vrata.”

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• गन्धर्वः: Gandharva
• गन्धर्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• आरिराधयिषुः: wishing to propitiate
• आरिराधयिषुः: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of subject/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राध् (धातु) + इषु (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय; desiderative/intentive)
• Form: कृदन्त (इषु-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अर्थः—‘आराधयितुमिच्छन्’ (desiring to propitiate)

• भवम्: Bhava (Śiva)
• भवम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• सोमवारव्रतम्: Monday-vow
• सोमवारव्रतम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमवार (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषार्थः—‘सोमवारे (सोमस्य वारे) यत् व्रतम्’

• नाम: named/called
• नाम: Sambandha (Appositional marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-शब्दः (indeclinable particle) — ‘called/known as’

• पप्रच्छ: asked
• पप्रच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मुनिसत्तमम्: the best of sages
• मुनिसत्तमम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः—‘मुनीनां सत्तमः’ (best among sages)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) as narrator (addressing Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somavāra-vrata in Somēśvara kṣetra (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Gandharva devotee respectfully questions a venerable sage about the Somavāra-vrata; Devī is the implied listener in Śiva’s narration.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Devī
• Gandharva
• Bhava (Śiva)
• Somavāra-vrata
• Muni-sattama (Gośṛṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When devotion awakens, one seeks proper vidhi (method) from the wise—right practice safeguards right results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, with Someshvara/Śiva worship as the implied sacred focus.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The Somavāra-vrata is introduced as the relevant observance; its detailed procedure is requested and explained in the following verses.