Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 142

Devanagari script

तत्रतत्र प्रजास्ता वै निवसन्ति स्म सर्वदा । आहारः फलमूलं तु प्रजानामभवत्किल

Transliteration

tatratatra prajāstā vai nivasanti sma sarvadā | āhāraḥ phalamūlaṃ tu prajānāmabhavatkila

Translation

En de tels lieux, les êtres humains demeuraient sans cesse ; et la nourriture de ces créatures, dit-on, était faite de fruits et de racines.

Word by Word

• तत्रतत्र: here and there; in various places
• तत्रतत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय) + तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति-अव्यय (reduplicated adverb)

• प्रजाः: people; subjects
• प्रजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative); बहुवचन

• ताः: those (they)
• ताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• निवसन्ति: live; dwell
• निवसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); प्रथम-पुरुष; बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• स्म: (indicates past/habitual)
• स्म: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्म (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; भूतार्थक-स्म (past-tense marker with present)

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• आहारः: food; sustenance
• आहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• फलमूलम्: fruits and roots
• फलमूलम्: Pratipādya (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक) + मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (copulative: fruits and roots)

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (but/indeed)

• प्रजानाम्: of the people
• प्रजानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive); बहुवचन

• अभवत्: was; became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• किल: it is said; indeed
• किल: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किल (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ऐतिह्यार्थक-निपात (hearsay/indeed)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) as narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: People living in small clearings, gathering fruits and digging roots; calm daily rhythm; no ploughs or markets; nature abundant yet modest.

Characters & Entities

• Prajā (people/creatures)
• Phala-mūla (fruits and roots)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Before structured agriculture, life depended on simple, natural sustenance—implying restraint and harmony with the earth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The account is situated within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya, lending sacred depth to the region through primordial human history.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.