Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

अथ नक्षत्रनाथस्य तासां मध्येतिवल्लभा । बभूव रोहिणी देवी प्राणेभ्योऽपि गरीयसी

Transliteration

atha nakṣatranāthasya tāsāṃ madhyetivallabhā | babhūva rohiṇī devī prāṇebhyo'pi garīyasī

Translation

Alors, parmi elles toutes, la Déesse Rohiṇī devint infiniment chère au Seigneur des Nakṣatras (la Lune), plus chère encore que son propre souffle de vie.

Word by Word

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

• नक्षत्रनाथस्य: of the lord of the nakṣatras (Moon)
• नक्षत्रनाथस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नक्षत्र-नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); एकवचन

• तासाम्: of them
• तासाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी; बहुवचन

• मध्ये: among, in the midst
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी; एकवचन

• अति: exceedingly
• अति: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति (अव्यय/उपसर्ग)
• Form: अव्यय; अतिशयार्थक (intensifier: exceedingly)

• वल्लभा: beloved
• वल्लभा: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वल्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण

• बभूव: became, was
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd); एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• रोहिणी: Rohiṇī
• रोहिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोहिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• देवी: the goddess/lady
• देवी: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; समानाधिकरण (apposition)

• प्राणेभ्यः: than (his) lives/breaths
• प्राणेभ्यः: Apadana (Standard of comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative); बहुवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अप्यर्थक (even/also)

• गरीयसी: more dear/greater
• गरीयसी: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; तुलनात्मक-प्रत्यय (comparative: गरीयस्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Moon-lord Soma gazes tenderly at Rohiṇī, who stands radiant among her sisters; the other Nakṣatras show subtle sadness and restraint, foreshadowing complaint and cosmic correction; a narrator-sage indicates the moral tension.

Characters & Entities

• Nakṣatranātha (Candra)
• Rohiṇī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Excessive favoritism becomes a seed of imbalance; dharma teaches measured affection and equitable conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of the broader Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya chapter’s narrative flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None mentioned in this verse.