Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ततः कालेन बहुना तस्यास्तुष्टो दिवाकरः । उवाच मधुरं वाक्यं दुर्गां देवो महाप्रभाम् । वरं वरय देवेशि तपसा तुष्टवानहम्

Transliteration

tataḥ kālena bahunā tasyāstuṣṭo divākaraḥ | uvāca madhuraṃ vākyaṃ durgāṃ devo mahāprabhām | varaṃ varaya deveśi tapasā tuṣṭavānaham

Translation

After a long time, the Sun (Divākara) was pleased with her and spoke sweetly to the radiant Goddess Durgā: “Choose a boon, O Queen of the Gods; I am satisfied by your austerity.”

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (sequence adverb: 'thereafter/then')

• kālena: with/by time; after time
• kālena: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन (masc., instrumental singular)

• bahunā: much; long
• bahunā: Karana (Instrument-qualifier/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with kālena)

• tasyāḥ: of her
• tasyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (fem., genitive singular)

• tuṣṭaḥ: pleased
• tuṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √tuṣ (धातु) → tuṣṭa (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'pleased' (agreeing with divākaraḥ)

• divākaraḥ: Divākara (the Sun)
• divākaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divākara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc., nominative singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• madhuram: sweet; pleasant
• madhuram: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madhura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with vākyam)

• vākyam: words; speech
• vākyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neut., accusative singular)

• durgām: Durgā
• durgām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (fem., accusative singular)

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc., nominative singular)

• mahā-prabhām: of great radiance
• mahā-prabhām: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास ('great' + 'splendour'), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with durgām)

• varam: a boon
• varam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neut., accusative singular)

• varaya: choose; ask for
• varaya: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛ (धातु) (वृञ् वरणे)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• deveśi: O mistress of the gods
• deveśi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + īśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('of gods' + 'mistress'), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (vocative singular)

• tapasā: by austerity
• tapasā: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neut., instrumental singular)

• tuṣṭavān: having been pleased
• tuṣṭavān: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √tuṣ (धातु) → tuṣṭavat (कृदन्त, क्तवत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्तवत्-प्रत्ययान्त-भूतकृदन्त (perfect participle active), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'having been pleased' (agreeing with aham)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (1st person pronoun, nominative singular)

Speaker

Sūrya (within Īśvara’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Durgāditya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Sun-god (Divākara) appears in radiant form before Durgā after long austerity, speaking gently and offering a boon; the air shimmers with light, lotuses and rays fill the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya (Divākara)
• Durgā
• Tapas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady tapas and devotion mature into divine favor, culminating in grace (vara) aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This boon-dialogue forms the mythic foundation for the Durgāditya sacred spot in Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) and sustained worship are highlighted as the means of attaining divine response.