Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

पद्मयोनेर्धनं क्षीणं क्रतुर्वै न समाप्यते । तस्मान्मम प्रसादेन भव काञ्चनवाहिनी

Transliteration

padmayonerdhanaṃ kṣīṇaṃ kraturvai na samāpyate | tasmānmama prasādena bhava kāñcanavāhinī

Translation

La richesse de Padmayoni (Brahmā) est épuisée; aussi le sacrifice ne peut-il s’achever. Ainsi, par ma grâce, deviens Kāñcanavāhinī, celle qui porte un courant d’or.

Word by Word

• padmayoneḥ: of Brahmā (lotus-born)
• padmayoneḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padmayoni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘padma-yoni’ = ‘one whose womb/origin is a lotus’ (Brahmā)

• dhanam: wealth
• dhanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; here subject with predicate adjective

• kṣīṇam: is depleted
• kṣīṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣīṇa (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) from kṣi (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; predicate adjective to ‘dhanam’

• kratuḥ: the sacrifice (rite)
• kratuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kratu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• samāpyate: is completed
• samāpyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थे (passive sense) ‘is completed’

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (ablatival adverbial) = तस्मात् ‘therefore/from that’

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• prasādena: by (my) grace
• prasādena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prasāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; साधन/हेतु (by means of/through grace)

• bhava: become
• bhava: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kāñcanavāhinī: O bearer/river of gold
• kāñcanavāhinī: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāñcana (प्रातिपदिक) + vāhinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे (vocative sense implied with imperative)

Speaker

Śiva, instructing Sarasvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāñcanavāhinī (within/near Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sarasvatī Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker tells Sarasvatī that Brahmā’s wealth is depleted; to complete the sacrifice, Sarasvatī is blessed/commanded to become Kāñcanavāhinī, visualized as a radiant stream flowing with golden shimmer, bringing abundance for dakṣiṇā.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Brahmā (Padmayoni)
• Sarasvatī (Kāñcanavāhinī)
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When dharma faces practical limitation, divine grace can open new means—yet the aim remains righteous completion of sacred duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where Sarasvatī is transformed into Kāñcanavāhinī, linking the place to miraculous sacred abundance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Completion of yajña requires resources for dakṣiṇā; the narrative presents a divine provision (gold-bearing flow) to fulfill that obligation.