Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

इत्युक्त्वा भगवान्देव ईषन्मीलितलोचनः । सस्मार विश्वकर्माणं सर्वशिल्पवतां वरम्

Transliteration

ityuktvā bhagavāndeva īṣanmīlitalocanaḥ | sasmāra viśvakarmāṇaṃ sarvaśilpavatāṃ varam

Translation

Ayant ainsi parlé, le Seigneur Bienheureux—les yeux doucement mi-clos dans la sérénité du yoga—se souvint de Viśvakarmā, le premier parmi tous les maîtres des arts et de l’architecture.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्यसमाप्त्यर्थक/उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Gerundial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having said)

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; भगवान् इत्यस्य समानाधिकरणम्

• ईषत्: slightly
• ईषत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ईषत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (slightly)

• मीलितलोचनः: with (his) eyes half-closed
• मीलितलोचनः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of भगवान्/देवः)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मीलित (कृदन्त; √मील्) + लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (मीलिते लोचने यस्य = having closed eyes)

• सस्मार: remembered/called to mind
• सस्मार: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect); प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• विश्वकर्माणम्: Viśvakarman
• विश्वकर्माणम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वकर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (विश्वस्य कर्म = maker of the universe; proper name)

• सर्वशिल्पवताम्: of all craftsmen
• सर्वशिल्पवताम्: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + शिल्पवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (सर्वेषां शिल्पवताम् = of all artisans)

• वरम्: the best
• वरम्: Karma (Object complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; विश्वकर्माणम् इत्यस्य विशेषणार्थे (best)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narration; context leads into Śiva’s action)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, eyes gently half-closed in yogic poise, inwardly ‘remembers’ Viśvakarmā; the moment is quiet yet charged, as if architecture is summoned from pure will.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān (Śiva)
• Viśvakarmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred works in a tīrtha are ideally undertaken through divine remembrance and disciplined intention, not mere worldly ambition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, praised in the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya of the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the verse highlights Śiva’s yogic recollection (smaraṇa) as the prelude to sacred construction.