Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

तस्य मध्ये महासारं वाडवं यत्र वै मुखम् । श्रीसोमेशाद्दक्षिणतो धन्वंतरशतावधि । उत्तरान्मानसात्पूर्वं यावदेव कृतस्मरम्

Transliteration

tasya madhye mahāsāraṃ vāḍavaṃ yatra vai mukham | śrīsomeśāddakṣiṇato dhanvaṃtaraśatāvadhi | uttarānmānasātpūrvaṃ yāvadeva kṛtasmaram

Translation

En son milieu repose l’essence puissante : le lieu où se trouve véritablement la bouche du Vaḍava, le feu sous-marin. Il est au sud de Śrī-Someśa, à la distance de cent dhanvantara ; et depuis Mānasā vers le nord, il s’étend vers l’est jusqu’à Kṛtasmarā.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• महासारम्: very strong/essence-filled
• महासारम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + सार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; 'वाडवम्' इत्यस्य विशेषण

• वाडवम्: the Vaḍava (submarine fire)
• वाडवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाडव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; (अध्याहृत) 'पश्यति/विन्दति' इत्यादेः कर्म; अथवा 'मुखम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणार्थे

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• मुखम्: the mouth/opening
• मुखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय (यत्र ... मुखम्)

• श्रीसोमेशात्: from Śrī-Someśa
• श्रीसोमेशात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री + सोमेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (श्रीमान् सोमेशः), पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान

• दक्षिणतः: to the south
• दक्षिणतः: Adhikarana (Directional location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिणतः (अव्यय)
• Form: दिशावाचक अव्यय (directional adverb: to the south/southwards)

• धन्वन्तरशतावधि: up to a hundred dhanvantaras (as a limit)
• धन्वन्तरशतावधि: Desha (Extent/देश-परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धन्वन्तर + शत + अवधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव (अवधि-पर्यन्तार्थः), अव्यय; परिमाण/सीमा सूचक

• उत्तरात्: from the north
• उत्तरात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (दिशावाचक), पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान

• मानसात्: from Mānasa
• मानसात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान

• पूर्वम्: to the east/before
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana (Directional location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: eastward/before); दिशावाचक/क्रमवाचक

• यावत्: as far as
• यावत्: Desha (Extent/देश-परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक अव्यय (as far as)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (restrictive/emphatic particle: only/indeed)

• कृतस्मरम्: up to Kṛtasmaram (place-name)
• कृतस्मरम्: Karma (Goal/कर्म-गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत + स्मर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (कृतः स्मरः यस्य/यत्र; स्थाननाम), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; गत्यर्थे कर्म (यावत् ... कृतस्मरम्)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agnitīrtha / Vaḍavāmukha-sthāna (within Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī / the inquiring interlocutor (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stylized sacred map: Somnātha (Śrī Someśa) as a temple anchor; southward the Agnitīrtha region; within the sea a glowing ‘mouth’ of Vaḍavā fire; boundary points labeled Mānasā (north) and Kṛtasmarā (east).

Characters & Entities

• Vaḍavānala (Vāḍava)
• Śrī Someśa
• Mānasā
• Kṛtasmarā
• Dhanvantara (measure)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-mahātmya is anchored in precise sacred geography, enabling devotees to approach holy zones with clarity and reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The region of Agni-tīrtha/Vaḍavānala, described relative to Śrī Someśa, Mānasā, and Kṛtasmarā in Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse provides boundary and distance markers for the sacred area.