Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । मा विषादं व्रजध्वं हि उपदेक्ष्यामि वो हितम् । इतो व्रजध्वं पातालं यत्रास्ते दैत्यसत्तमः

Transliteration

brahmovāca | mā viṣādaṃ vrajadhvaṃ hi upadekṣyāmi vo hitam | ito vrajadhvaṃ pātālaṃ yatrāste daityasattamaḥ

Translation

Brahmā dit : «Ne sombrez pas dans le désespoir ; je vous instruirai pour votre bien. Allez d’ici à Pātāla, où demeure le plus noble des Daitya.»

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• मा: do not
• मा: Pratiṣedha (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle)

• विषादम्: despondency, grief
• विषादम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• व्रजध्वम्: go
• व्रजध्वम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis/indeed)

• उपदेक्ष्यामि: I shall instruct
• उपदेक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-√दिश् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• वः: for you / your
• वः: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) बहुवचन (enclitic form)

• हितम्: benefit, welfare
• हितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हित (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from √धा with नि/हि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• इतः: from here
• इतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb; ablatival sense)

• व्रजध्वम्: go
• व्रजध्वम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद

• पातालम्: to Pātāla (netherworld)
• पातालम्: Karma (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• आस्ते: dwells, sits
• आस्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• दैत्यसत्तमः: the best of the Daityas
• दैत्यसत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दैत्यानां सत्तमः)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pātāla (as a realm to be visited for counsel)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame; not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā raises a calming hand, addressing distraught sages; behind them opens a symbolic gateway to Pātāla—serpentine arches, jeweled caverns—signaling a descent-journey for sacred knowledge.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Pātāla
• Daitya-sattamaḥ (best of Daityas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Despair is countered by right counsel; spiritual truth may be revealed through unexpected devotees, even across cosmic realms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tirtha is praised directly; the verse points to Pātāla as a narrative destination to meet a great devotee.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an instruction for a journey as part of the inquiry.