Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

स हि त्रिभुवनस्वामी देवदेवो महेश्वरः । अपेक्षते वरं दातुं भक्तिमेवानपायिनीम्

Transliteration

sa hi tribhuvanasvāmī devadevo maheśvaraḥ | apekṣate varaṃ dātuṃ bhaktimevānapāyinīm

Translation

Car ce Maheśvara—Seigneur des trois mondes, Dieu des dieux—lorsqu’il accorde une grâce, ne considère avant tout que la dévotion inébranlable, et rien d’autre.

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• hi: indeed; for
• hi: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis/causal)

• tri-bhuvana-svāmī: lord of the three worlds
• tri-bhuvana-svāmī: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + bhuvana (प्रातिपदिक) + svāmin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (tribhuvanānāṃ svāmī); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; saḥ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• deva-devaḥ: god of gods
• deva-devaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (devānāṃ devaḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• maheśvaraḥ: Maheśvara (the Great Lord)
• maheśvaraḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (mahān īśvaraḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• apekṣate: expects; looks for
• apekṣate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√īkṣ (ईक्ष्) (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• varam: a boon
• varam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dātum: to give
• dātum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √dā (दा) (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive): दातुम्; प्रयोजनार्थ (to give)

• bhaktim: devotion
• bhaktim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• eva: alone; indeed
• eva: Sambandha/Emphasis (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात

• anapāyinīm: unfailing; not departing
• anapāyinīm: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-apāyinī (प्रातिपदिक; a- + apāyinī from √i/यि with apa-)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (bhaktim)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience in the mahatmya frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A declarative, almost aphoristic tableau: Mahādeva as Devadeva, holding trident and damaru, radiating sovereignty over the three worlds; a subtle emphasis on the devotee’s unwavering gaze and folded hands as the true ‘key’ to boons.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest ‘credential’ before God is steadfast devotion; boons follow bhakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya, thereby praising Prabhāsa as a sacred landscape of Śiva’s grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse prescribes inner steadiness—unfailing devotion.