Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

एषां संरक्षणार्थाय मया वै तत्र मातरः । पूजनीयाः प्रयत्नेन नैवेद्यैर्विविधैः शुभैः

Transliteration

eṣāṃ saṃrakṣaṇārthāya mayā vai tatra mātaraḥ | pūjanīyāḥ prayatnena naivedyairvividhaiḥ śubhaiḥ

Translation

Pour la protection de ces tīrthas, j’y ai établi les Mères (Mātṛ) ; qu’on les honore avec effort, par diverses offrandes de nourriture (naivedya) de bon augure.

Word by Word

• एषाम्: of these
• एषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• संरक्षणार्थाय: for (their) protection
• संरक्षणार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संरक्षण (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); अर्थे-तत्पुरुषः (purpose: ‘for the sake of protection’)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

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

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• मातरः: the Mothers (Mātṛs)
• मातरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine)

• पूजनीयाः: worthy to be worshipped
• पूजनीयाः: Vidheyavisheshana (Predicative qualifier/विधेय-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज् (धातु) → पूजनीय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भाव्य/योग्यतार्थक-तव्यत्/अनीयर्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive: ‘to be worshipped’); प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन, स्त्रीलिङ्ग

• प्रयत्नेन: with effort
• प्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• नैवेद्यैः: with food-offerings
• नैवेद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैवेद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• विविधैः: various
• विविधैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); नैवेद्यैः इति विशेषण

• शुभैः: auspicious
• शुभैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); नैवेद्यैः इति विशेषण

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mātṛ-sthānas of Prabhāsa (protective Mother shrines)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as mātaraḥ/devī context; verse addresses ‘mātaraḥ’ as installed beings and implies Devī as interlocutor)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda (or a divine authority) indicates the installation of multiple Mother-goddesses around Prabhāsa; devotees present varied naivedyas on leaf-plates; the Mothers appear as radiant Mātṛkās with weapons and maternal grace.

Characters & Entities

• Mātṛs (Mother-goddesses)
• Naivedya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are upheld through dharmic guardianship—honoring protective deities sustains the sanctity of tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s tīrthas collectively, with emphasis on their protection through the installed Mātṛs.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mātṛ-pūjā with diligent devotion and diverse auspicious naivedya (food offerings).