Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

ततो हष्टमनाऽगस्त्यः प्राग्रसत्कवलद्वयम् । रूपं कृत्वा महत्तद्वद्यद्वत्सागरशोषणे

Transliteration

tato haṣṭamanā'gastyaḥ prāgrasatkavaladvayam | rūpaṃ kṛtvā mahattadvadyadvatsāgaraśoṣaṇe

Translation

Alors Agastya, l’esprit réjoui, avala d’abord deux bouchées, prenant une forme immense, comme lorsqu’il but l’océan jusqu’à l’assécher.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ततोऽर्थे (thereupon/then)

• haṣṭa-manāḥ: joyful-minded
• haṣṭa-manāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: haṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'joyful-minded'—विशेषणम् (of Agastya)

• agastyaḥ: Agastya
• agastyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• prā-agrāsat: swallowed
• prā-agrāsat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gras (धातु) उपसर्ग-प्र +
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kavala-dvayam: two mouthfuls
• kavala-dvayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kavala (प्रातिपदिक) + dvi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः ('two morsels')

• rūpam: form
• rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having made/assumed
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (Absolutive/क्त्वान्त), 'having made/assumed'

• mahat: great, huge
• mahat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of rūpam)

• tadvat: likewise
• tadvat: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadvat (अव्यय/तद्धितान्त)
• Form: अव्यय; 'tadvat' = 'like that/in that manner' (manner adverb)

• yadvat: just as
• yadvat: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यद्वत् (correlative: 'just as')

• sāgara-śoṣaṇe: in the drying up of the ocean
• sāgara-śoṣaṇe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāgara (प्रातिपदिक) + śoṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; 'in the drying up of the ocean'—अधिकरण

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya’s body subtly enlarges into a majestic, expansive form; he begins eating with calm delight, the scene echoing the legendary moment of ‘drinking the ocean’.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Ocean (sāgara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual attainment (tapas and mantra) grants mastery over seemingly impossible obstacles; dharma’s protectors are empowered.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where Agastya’s greatness is displayed to end demonic oppression.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative comparison to Agastya’s famed ocean-drinking act.