Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

किमत्र गुप्तभावेन तिष्ठथ श्वभ्रमध्यगाः । मद्भक्तानां भयं नास्ति त्रैलोक्येपि चराचरे

Transliteration

kimatra guptabhāvena tiṣṭhatha śvabhramadhyagāḥ | madbhaktānāṃ bhayaṃ nāsti trailokyepi carācare

Translation

Pourquoi demeurez-vous ici, cachés, au fond d’une fosse ? Pour Mes dévots, il n’est aucune crainte — même dans les trois mondes, parmi tout ce qui se meut et ne se meut pas.

Word by Word

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय

• guptabhāvena: with a hidden state/secretly
• guptabhāvena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gupta (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गुप्तः भावः)

• tiṣṭhatha: you stand/remain
• tiṣṭhatha: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (स्था धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• śvabhra: pit, hole
• śvabhra: Sambandha (Compound member/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvabhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग)

• madhyagāḥ: being in the middle (of)
• madhyagāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक) + gam (गम् धातु) + kvip/ka (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (मध्य+ग ‘going/being in the middle’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संबोधित-समूहस्य विशेषणम्

• madbhaktānām: of my devotees
• madbhaktānām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (सर्वनाम) + bhakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मम भक्ताः)

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधवाचक अव्यय (negation particle)

• asti: exists
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• trailokye: in the three worlds
• trailokye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: trailokya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-भाववाचक अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• carācare: among the moving and unmoving (beings)
• carācare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cara (प्रातिपदिक) + acara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः (चरं च अचरं च)

Speaker

Devī (Jaganmātā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī addresses devas hiding in a pit, her gaze compassionate yet commanding; she gestures ‘fear not’ while the devas emerge from concealment.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Devas
• Trailokya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti brings divine protection: the devotee is assured fearlessness under the Goddess’s guardianship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting implies a mountainous/cave-like refuge in the Arbuda narrative, but no named tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it emphasizes devotional reliance (śaraṇāgati) as the core practice.