Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अथाऽब्रवीन्निशानाथो ब्रह्माणं विनयान्वितः

Transliteration

athā'bravīnniśānātho brahmāṇaṃ vinayānvitaḥ

Translation

Alors Niśānātha (la Lune), empreint d’humilité, s’adressa à Brahmā.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक (then/now)

• अब्रवीत्: said; spoke
• अब्रवीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• निशानाथः: the Lord of night (the Moon)
• निशानाथः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—निशायाः नाथः

• ब्रह्माणम्: to Brahmā
• ब्रह्माणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विनयान्वितः: endowed with humility
• विनयान्वितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनय + अन्वित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—विनयेन अन्वितः (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष); विशेषण (निशानाथः)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara) narrating; the quoted speaker within the scene is Candra (Niśānātha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Moon-god (Niśānātha) stands with folded hands, face softened by humility, addressing four-faced Brahmā seated in a luminous sacred precinct of Prabhāsa; attendants and subtle celestial glow indicate a tīrtha’s impending revelation.

Characters & Entities

• Candra (Niśānātha)
• Brahmā
• Somnātha
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even exalted celestial beings approach sacred acts with vinaya (humility), highlighting humility as a prerequisite for true religious merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative context is the Somnātha consecration at Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; it introduces the request-dialogue preceding a consecratory act.