Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

संस्तंभयामास च तं वासवं च्यवनः प्रभुः । सुकन्यां चापि भार्यां स राजपुत्रीमवाप्तवान्

Transliteration

saṃstaṃbhayāmāsa ca taṃ vāsavaṃ cyavanaḥ prabhuḥ | sukanyāṃ cāpi bhāryāṃ sa rājaputrīmavāptavān

Translation

Le puissant sage Cyavana retint Vāsava (Indra) lui-même ; et il obtint pour épouse Sukanyā, la fille du roi.

Word by Word

• संस्तंभयामास: immobilized, restrained
• संस्तंभयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तम्भ् (धातु) + सम्- (उपसर्ग) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Periphrastic perfect/परस्मैपद-लिट्); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; causative: 'caused to be immobilized'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; pronoun

• वासवम्: Vāsava (Indra)
• वासवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; epithet of Indra

• च्यवनः: Cyavana
• च्यवनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: च्यवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्रभुः: the lord, powerful one
• प्रभुः: Karta (Appositive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; apposition to 'च्यवनः'

• सुकन्याम्: Sukanyā
• सुकन्याम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Addition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (particle: 'also')

• भार्याम्: as wife
• भार्याम्: Karma (Object apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; in apposition to 'सुकन्याम्'

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; pronoun

• राजपुत्रीम्: the king's daughter
• राजपुत्रीम्: Karma (Object apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (राज्ञः पुत्री); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; apposition to 'सुकन्याम्'

• अवाप्तवान्: obtained
• अवाप्तवान्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु) + अव- (उपसर्ग) + क्तवत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतपूर्वकृदन्त (past active participle, क्तवत्); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; finite sense: 'obtained'

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; within Īśvara’s narration to the Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cyavana, radiant with tapas, halts Indra’s advance; Indra’s vajra arm is stilled; Sukanyā, the princess, stands with modest resolve as the dharmic marriage is affirmed.

Characters & Entities

• Cyavana
• Vāsava (Indra)
• Sukanyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas grounded in dharma is portrayed as spiritually superior even to royal and divine power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, introduced as the setting where the Cyavana narrative unfolds in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse emphasizes the fruit and force of ascetic power (tapas) rather than a specific rite.