Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

प्रभासं क्षेत्रमासाद्य तपः परममास्थितौ । प्रतिष्ठाप्य महा देवं भास्करं वारितस्करम्

Transliteration

prabhāsaṃ kṣetramāsādya tapaḥ paramamāsthitau | pratiṣṭhāpya mahā devaṃ bhāskaraṃ vāritaskaram

Translation

Parvenus au kṣetra sacré de Prabhāsa, ils observèrent l’austérité suprême. Puis, après avoir établi le Grand Deva Bhāskara (le Soleil), qui écarte les périls venus des eaux et les voleurs, tel un puissant protecteur…

Word by Word

• प्रभासम्: Prabhāsa
• प्रभासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; गत्यर्थे कर्म (object of reaching)

• क्षेत्रम्: the sacred field/region
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; प्रभासस्य विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन (apposition)

• आसाद्य: having reached
• आसाद्य: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + सद् (धातु) → आसाद्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having reached)

• तपः: austerity/penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; आस्थितौ इत्यस्य कर्म

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying तपः)

• आस्थितौ: undertook/entered upon
• आस्थितौ: Karta (Predicate participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + स्था (धातु) → आस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; ‘तपः’ कर्मसहित (undertook)

• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: having installed
• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + स्था (धातु) → प्रतिष्ठाप्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having installed/established)

• महा: great
• महा: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-विशेषण (indeclinable-like adjective); ‘देवम्’ विशेषयति

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; प्रतिष्ठाप्य इत्यस्य कर्म

• भास्करम्: Bhāskara (Sun)
• भास्करम्: Karma (Apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भास्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; देवम् इत्यस्य विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन

• वारितस्करम्: who wards off thieves
• वारितस्करम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वारित + तस्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/षष्ठीभावः): वारिताः तस्कराः येन/यस्मात्; पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (भास्करम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Prabhāsa’s sacred ground near the sea, the grown siblings perform intense austerity; they consecrate a radiant Sūrya/Bhāskara image on a pedestal, with sages chanting; the Sun’s rays form a protective aura warding off watery perils and thieves; waves and a distant shrine silhouette frame the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Bhāskara (Sūrya)
• Mahādeva (as epithet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prabhāsa is portrayed as a field where intense tapas and sacred installation (pratiṣṭhā) bear potent spiritual fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, with the worship/installation of Bhāskara (Sūrya) as a key devotional focus.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapaḥ (austerity) and pratiṣṭhā (installing/establishing a deity image/shrine) are explicitly mentioned.