Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

आहैवं पुंडरीकाक्षमपः कुरु त्वमक्षयाः । अन्यथा सर्वनाशेन जलानां मामिहाग्रतः । भक्षयिष्यत्यसौ वह्निर्वाडवो हि जनार्द्दन

Transliteration

āhaivaṃ puṃḍarīkākṣamapaḥ kuru tvamakṣayāḥ | anyathā sarvanāśena jalānāṃ māmihāgrataḥ | bhakṣayiṣyatyasau vahnirvāḍavo hi janārddana

Translation

Así habló al Señor de ojos de loto: «Haz que las aguas sean inagotables. De lo contrario, ante mis propios ojos, ese fuego Vaḍava me devorará por completo, trayendo la ruina total de las aguas, oh Janārdana».

Word by Word

• āha: said
• āha: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (अह्/आह्)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• puṇḍarīka-akṣam: to Puṇḍarīkākṣa (lotus-eyed one)
• puṇḍarīka-akṣam: Karma (Object addressed/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇḍarīka (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समासः = ‘whose eyes are like lotuses’ (विष्णु)

• apaḥ: waters
• apaḥ: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ap (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Acc. pl.; pluralia tantum)

• kuru: make
• kuru: Kriya (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुषार्थे (2nd person pronoun), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• akṣayāḥ: imperishable
• akṣayāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन; ‘apaḥ’ इति विशेषण

• anyathā: otherwise
• anyathā: Sambandha (Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्प/अन्यथा (otherwise)

• sarva-nāśena: by total destruction
• sarva-nāśena: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• jalānām: of the waters
• jalānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमपुरुषार्थे (1st person pronoun), द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• agrataḥ: in front (of you)
• agrataḥ: Adhikarana (Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: agrataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुरतः (in front)

• bhakṣayiṣyati: will devour
• bhakṣayiṣyati: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhakṣ (भक्ष्)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• asau: that (one)
• asau: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• vahniḥ: fire
• vahniḥ: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vāḍavaḥ: the Vāḍava (submarine)
• vāḍavaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāḍava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘vahniḥ’ इति विशेषण (the submarine fire)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis/for)

• janārdana: O Janārdana
• janārdana: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janārdana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Ocean (Jalanidhi/Samudra) appealing to Viṣṇu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha/Someśa vicinity)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Umā addressed as ‘Mahādevī’ in the surrounding verses; broader audience of sages implied

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Ocean personified pleads before lotus-eyed Janārdana; behind them the terrifying Vaḍavānala threatens to drink the waters; the shoreline of Prabhāsa glows with ominous light.

Characters & Entities

• Puṇḍarīkākṣa (Viṣṇu)
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• Ocean (Samudra)
• Vaḍavānala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In crisis, even the mighty seek refuge in the Divine; grace preserves the world by making resources sustainable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s seaside sanctity—where the Purāṇa frames the ocean’s protection as part of the region’s sacred greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual here; it is a supplication (śaraṇāgati) to Viṣṇu for safeguarding the waters.