Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

मुक्तस्तदा स वै नन्दी देवदेवेन शंभुना । कैलासनिलयात्तस्मात्प्रभासं क्षेत्रमागतः

Transliteration

muktastadā sa vai nandī devadevena śaṃbhunā | kailāsanilayāttasmātprabhāsaṃ kṣetramāgataḥ

Translation

Alors Nandin, dépêché par Śambhu, le Dieu des dieux, quitta la demeure de Śiva sur le Kailāsa et parvint au kṣetra sacré de Prabhāsa.

Word by Word

• muktaḥ: freed/released
• muktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √muc (मुच् धातु) → mukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण (released)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kala-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

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

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

• nandī: Nandin
• nandī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nandī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नाम (proper noun)

• deva-devena: by the God of gods
• deva-devena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (देवानां देवः = god of gods)

• śaṃbhunā: by Śambhu (Śiva)
• śaṃbhunā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃbhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; नाम (Śambhu)

• kailāsa-nilayāt: from the abode of Kailāsa
• kailāsa-nilayāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kailāsa + nilaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कैलासस्य निलयः = abode of Kailāsa)

• tasmāt: from there/from that
• tasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• prabhāsam: Prabhāsa
• prabhāsam: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; स्थाननाम (Prabhāsa)

• kṣetram: the sacred field/place
• kṣetram: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• āgataḥ: came/arrived
• āgataḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु) with ā- (उपसर्ग) → āgata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (having come)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nandin, dispatched by Śambhu, departs from Kailāsa and arrives at Prabhāsa-kṣetra—transition from snowy Himalayan heights to the luminous coastal sacred field.

Characters & Entities

• Nandin
• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Kailāsa
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are connected in a divine geography; service to Śiva includes purposeful travel in fulfillment of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, reached from Kailāsa as part of Śiva’s sacred narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse narrates the messenger-journey that supports forthcoming rites and assemblies.