Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 101

Devanagari script

एवमुक्तेन तत्तेन सूचीवेधसमं कृतम् । घटिकापूरणं यद्वत्पपौ तद्वदनं जलम्

Transliteration

evamuktena tattena sūcīvedhasamaṃ kṛtam | ghaṭikāpūraṇaṃ yadvatpapau tadvadanaṃ jalam

Translation

Ainsi instruit, il rendit son ouverture semblable à une piqûre d’aiguille ; et, comme l’eau remplit un vase de clepsydre, ainsi but-il ces eaux de cette manière.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — thus

• uktena: by the statement
• uktena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √vac (धातु) (क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — ‘उक्तेन’ = by what was said/with the utterance

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — ‘तत्’ (emphatic ‘that’)

• tena: by him
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन — ‘तेन’ = by him

• sūcī-vedha-samam: equal to a needle-piercing (i.e., very small)
• sūcī-vedha-samam: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūcī (प्रातिपदिक) + vedha (प्रातिपदिक; √vyadh धातु-निष्पन्न) + sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषार्थे): सūcī-वेधस्य समम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘सूचीवेधसमम्’ = equal to a needle-piercing

• kṛtam: was made
• kṛtam: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) (क्त-प्रत्यय; कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘कृतम्’ = was made/done

• ghaṭikā-pūraṇam: (as much as) filling a ghaṭikā-measure
• ghaṭikā-pūraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghaṭikā (प्रातिपदिक) + pūraṇa (प्रातिपदिक; √pṝ/√pūr धातु-निष्पन्न)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास: घटिकायाः पूरणम्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — ‘घटिकापूरणम्’

• yadvat: just as
• yadvat: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान-निपात) — ‘just as’

• papau: drank
• papau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — ‘पपौ’ = drank

• tadvat: likewise
• tadvat: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान-निपात) — ‘in the same way’

• anam: mouth
• anam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन — ‘अनम्’ = mouth (rare/poetic)

• jalam: water
• jalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Contextual) audience/ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viṣṇu, instructed, makes a minute needle-like aperture and drinks the surging waters as if filling a clepsydra; the oceanic expanse is shown being drawn into a controlled channel, emphasizing precision over force.

Characters & Entities

• Vāḍava (Vāḍavānala)
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Destructive forces can be regulated through intelligent limits—small openings, measured flow—symbolizing disciplined power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra’s oceanic setting frames the miracle, strengthening the māhātmya of the coastal sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse uses a timekeeping/filling metaphor (ghaṭikā) to describe the act.