Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

पृथ्वीभागे स्थितो ब्रह्मा अपां भागे जनार्द्दनः । तेजोभागस्थितो रुद्रो वायुभागे तथेश्वरः

Transliteration

pṛthvībhāge sthito brahmā apāṃ bhāge janārddanaḥ | tejobhāgasthito rudro vāyubhāge tatheśvaraḥ

Translation

Dans la part de la terre demeure Brahmā; dans la part des eaux, Janārdana. Dans la part du feu demeure Rudra; et dans la part du vent, de même, Īśvara.

Word by Word

• पृथ्वीभागे: in the earth-portion
• पृथ्वीभागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथ्वी-भाग (प्रातिपदिक; पृथ्वी + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘of earth’ + ‘portion’)

• स्थितः: situated
• स्थितः: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि/कर्तरि कृदन्त (past participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• अपाम्: of waters
• अपाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; (अप्-शब्दः, जल)

• भागे: in the portion
• भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• जनार्द्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्द्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्द्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तेजोभागस्थितः: situated in the fire/energy-portion
• तेजोभागस्थितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तेजस्-भाग-स्थित (प्रातिपदिक; तेजस् + भाग + स्थित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (तेजस्-भागे स्थितः) सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष-समास

• रुद्रः: Rudra
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वायुभागे: in the wind-portion
• वायुभागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु-भाग (प्रातिपदिक; वायु + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘of wind’ + ‘portion’)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fourfold elemental mandala: earth as a green-brown square with Brahmā seated on a lotus; waters as a blue circle with Janārdana on Śeṣa; fire as a red triangle with Rudra blazing; wind as a pale swirling spiral with Īśvara as subtle, all-pervading presence; all arranged around a central Prabhāsa emblem/temple silhouette.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• Rudra
• Īśvara
• Pṛthvī
• Āpaḥ
• Tejas
• Vāyu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The divine is shown as pervading the cosmos through elemental domains, integrating theology with sacred cosmography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya; it supports the sanctity of the kṣetra by grounding it in elemental-divine presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is cosmological doctrine rather than a ritual injunction.