Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

छिन्ने त्वद्यापि तत्रैव सुरक्तं संप्रदृश्यते । विष्णुक्षेत्रं हि तत्प्रोक्तं शंखो यत्र हतः पुरा

Transliteration

chinne tvadyāpi tatraiva suraktaṃ saṃpradṛśyate | viṣṇukṣetraṃ hi tatproktaṃ śaṃkho yatra hataḥ purā

Translation

Même aujourd’hui, lorsqu’on la tranche, on y voit sur-le-champ une rougeur éclatante. En vérité, ce lieu est déclaré être le kṣetra de Viṣṇu, là où jadis Śaṃkha fut mis à mort.

Word by Word

• छिन्ने: when cut / though cut
• छिन्ने: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिद् (धातु) → छिन्न (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute: when/though it is cut)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधसूचक (particle: but/indeed)

• अद्यापि: even now
• अद्यापि: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय) + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययसमूह; कालवाचक (even today/still)

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

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle: just/only)

• सुरक्तम्: very red (substance)
• सुरक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग) + रक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण (very red)

• संप्रदृश्यते: is seen/appears
• संप्रदृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्र-दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे (is seen/appears)

• विष्णु-क्षेत्रम्: Viṣṇu’s sacred region
• विष्णु-क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (neuter nominative/accusative singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (particle: indeed/for)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन (that)

• प्रोक्तम्: declared/called
• प्रोक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; (declared/called)

• शंखः: Śaṅkha (a being named Śaṅkha)
• शंखः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (nominative singular)

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

• हतः: was slain
• हतः: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण/विधेय (slain)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (formerly)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṃkhāvartta (within Viṣṇu-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stone is shown being cut or split, revealing vivid red within; in the background, a symbolic vision of Viṣṇu’s ancient combat with the asura Śaṃkha is suggested, linking the red sign to the slaying.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Viṣṇukṣetra
• Śaṃkha
• Śaṃkhāvartta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s sanctity is anchored in divine history; remembrance of sacred events sustains living faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaṃkhāvartta tīrtha, identified also as a Viṣṇukṣetra due to an ancient episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed in this verse; it provides the tīrtha’s identification through legend and sign.