Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ततोऽसौ ध्वजमाहात्म्याज्जातोऽवन्यां नराधिपः । ऋतध्वजेति विख्यातः सौराष्ट्रविषये सुधीः । स हि स्फूर्जद्ध्वजाग्रेण रथेन पर्यटन्महीम्

Transliteration

tato'sau dhvajamāhātmyājjāto'vanyāṃ narādhipaḥ | ṛtadhvajeti vikhyātaḥ saurāṣṭraviṣaye sudhīḥ | sa hi sphūrjaddhvajāgreṇa rathena paryaṭanmahīm

Translation

Par la suite, grâce à la grandeur de cet étendard, il naquit sur terre en tant que roi. Il fut renommé sous le nom de Ṛtadhvaja, souverain sage du pays de Saurāṣṭra ; et, sur un char dont la pointe portait un drapeau flottant, il parcourut la terre.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): ‘thereupon/then’

• asau: he, that person
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• dhvaja-māhātmyāt: from/owing to the greatness of the banner
• dhvaja-māhātmyāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक) + māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ध्वजस्य माहात्म्यम्) + पञ्चमी-प्रयोगः ‘from/owing to’

• jātaḥ: was born, arose
• jātaḥ: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘born/come into being’

• avanyām: on the earth
• avanyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: avanī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• narādhipaḥ: king, ruler of men
• narādhipaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नराणाम् अधिपः)

• ṛtadhvaja: Ṛtadhvaja (name)
• ṛtadhvaja: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛta (प्रातिपदिक) + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम (proper name); कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-सम्भवः ‘ṛta-flagged’

• iti: thus, as
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation-marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (quotative particle)

• vikhyātaḥ: renowned, famous
• vikhyātaḥ: Karta (Subject-complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: khyā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त (past passive participle) with vi-; पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘well-known’

• saurāṣṭra-viṣaye: in the Saurāṣṭra region
• saurāṣṭra-viṣaye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saurāṣṭra (प्रातिपदिक) + viṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सौराष्ट्रस्य विषयः)

• sudhīḥ: wise, intelligent
• sudhīḥ: Karta (Apposition to subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su-dhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

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

• hi: indeed, for
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle of emphasis/causal nuance)

• sphūrjat-dhvaja-agreṇa: with the banner’s fluttering tip/front
• sphūrjat-dhvaja-agreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sphūrjat (कृदन्त—शतृ from sphur धातु) + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समासः (ध्वजस्य अग्रे) with उपपद-विशेषण ‘sphūrjat’ (fluttering)

• rathena: by/with a chariot
• rathena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया, एकवचन

• paryaṭan: wandering, roaming
• paryaṭan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paryaṭ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—शतृ (present active participle); पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘wandering’

• mahīm: the earth
• mahīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dhvaja-māhātmya within Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wise king named Ṛtadhvaja rides a chariot across the earth; at the chariot’s prow a great banner snaps in the wind, echoing the temple flag’s earlier auspiciousness.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛtadhvaja
• Saurāṣṭra
• dhvaja (flag)
• ratha (chariot)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma teaches that even unintended contact with sacred symbols can yield powerful karmic fruits, including elevated rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative’s merit-source is the Śaiva kṣetra praised in Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, with Saurāṣṭra named as the king’s realm.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the focus is on dhvaja-māhātmya (the sanctity and merit connected with the temple flag).