Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । भगन्देवदेवेश संसारार्णवतारक । ब्रूहि श्राद्धविधिं पुण्यं विस्तराज्जगतांपते

Transliteration

devyuvāca | bhagandevadeveśa saṃsārārṇavatāraka | brūhi śrāddhavidhiṃ puṇyaṃ vistarājjagatāṃpate

Translation

La Déesse dit : «Ô Seigneur de bon augure, Seigneur des dieux, toi qui fais traverser l’océan du saṃsāra ; ô Maître des mondes, expose en détail la sainte procédure du śrāddha.»

Word by Word

• devī: the Goddess
• devī: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (fem.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• bhagan: O Blessed Lord
• bhagan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक; संबोधन-रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम् (sing.); भगवन्-शब्दः

• deva-deveśa: O Lord of the gods
• deva-deveśa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deveśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम् (sing.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (devānāṃ īśaḥ)

• saṃsāra-arṇava-tāraka: O savior from the ocean of worldly existence
• saṃsāra-arṇava-tāraka: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक) + arṇava (प्रातिपदिक) + tāraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम् (sing.); तत्पुरुषः (saṃsāra-arṇavāt tārakaḥ)

• brūhi: tell
• brūhi: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः (2nd person), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• śrāddha-vidhim: the rite/procedure of śrāddha
• śrāddha-vidhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (sing.); तत्पुरुषः (śrāddhasya vidhiḥ)

• puṇyam: meritorious; holy
• puṇyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.)/नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (sing.); कर्म-विशेषणम्

• vistarāt: in detail; at length
• vistarāt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.)/नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचनम् (sing.); अव्ययीभावेन 'विस्तरेण' अर्थे

• jagatām: of the worlds
• jagatām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• pate: O lord
• pate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम् (sing.)

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Kṣetra (Sarasvatī-tīrtha context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, seated with reverence, addresses Mahādeva in a sacred setting near the tīrtha; Mahādeva serene, holding triśūla and ḍamaru, ready to instruct; ritual implements for śrāddha (kuśa, piṇḍa, waterpot) appear nearby as foreshadowing.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral rites are presented as a sacred duty (dharma), worthy of detailed understanding from divine authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Prabhāsa Kṣetra; the immediate verse introduces śrāddha teaching within this māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A request for śrāddha-vidhi (procedure); the prescriptions begin in subsequent verses.