Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

केयं स्त्री दृश्यतेऽत्यर्थं गीतनृत्योत्सवे रता । सोऽब्रवीच्छिवधर्मोक्ता शिवरात्रिः सुधर्मदा

Transliteration

keyaṃ strī dṛśyate'tyarthaṃ gītanṛtyotsave ratā | so'bravīcchivadharmoktā śivarātriḥ sudharmadā

Translation

“Who is this woman, so intensely devoted to the festival of song and dance?” He replied, “This is Śivarātri, taught in the dharma of Śiva, the giver of true righteousness.”

Word by Word

• kā: who? (which woman?)
• kā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (interrogative pronoun)

• iyam: this
• iyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

• strī: woman
• strī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• dṛśyate: is seen/appears
• dṛśyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• atyartham: exceedingly, very much
• atyartham: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atyartha (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• gīta-nṛtya-utsave: in the festival of song and dance
• gīta-nṛtya-utsave: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gīta (प्रातिपदिक) + nṛtya (प्रातिपदिक) + utsava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — गीते च नृत्ये च (विषय) उत्सवः

• ratā: engaged, devoted
• ratā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √ram)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle sense: engaged/delighting)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śiva-dharma-uktā: declared in the Śiva-dharma
• śiva-dharma-uktā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + ukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √vac)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — शिवधर्मेण उक्ता/शिवधर्मे उक्ता (as per Śiva-dharma, spoken/declared)

• śiva-rātriḥ: Śivarātri (night of Śiva)
• śiva-rātriḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + rātri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष) — शिवस्य रात्रिः

• su-dharma-dā: giver of good dharma
• su-dharma-dā: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √dā)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारय-प्राय) — सुदर्मं ददाति इति (giver of good dharma)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator quoting an unnamed respondent

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rudreśvara at Prabhāsa (Śivarātri observance site)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: munipuṅgava-s (outer audience); immediate respondent is an unnamed person at the shrine

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A question is posed about the woman’s intense participation in song-and-dance festival; an onlooker answers with doctrinal clarity: this is Śivarātri, the dharma of Śiva, giver of true righteousness.

Characters & Entities

• Śivarātri
• Śiva-dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śivarātri is upheld as a dharmic institution—devotional celebration becomes a path to righteous living.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa-kṣetra shrine context (Rudreśvara) where Śivarātri is being observed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śivarātri observance, characterized here by communal devotional celebration (utsava) and vigil.