Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अतोऽहं नरतां प्राप्तो नान्यदस्तीह कारणम् । ततस्तत्सलिलं भूयः प्रविष्टं धरणीतले

Transliteration

ato'haṃ naratāṃ prāpto nānyadastīha kāraṇam | tatastatsalilaṃ bhūyaḥ praviṣṭaṃ dharaṇītale

Translation

«Ainsi ai-je obtenu la condition humaine : il n’y a ici nulle autre cause.» Ensuite, cette eau rentra de nouveau dans la terre.

Word by Word

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक अव्यय — causal adverb ‘therefore/from this’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन — 1st person pronoun, Nominative singular

• नरताम्: manhood / human state
• नरताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative singular

• प्राप्तः: obtained / attained
• प्राप्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — PPP; Masculine, Nominative singular

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय — negation particle

• अन्यत्: anything else
• अन्यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative singular

• अस्ति: is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present, 3rd person singular

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय — adverb of place

• कारणम्: cause
• कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative/Accusative singular (predicate noun)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/क्रमवाचक अव्यय — adverb ‘then/from there’

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सलिलम्) — Neuter, Accusative singular; demonstrative adjective

• सलिलम्: water
• सलिलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative singular

• भूयः: again
• भूयः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयः (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरर्थक अव्यय — adverb ‘again/further’

• प्रविष्टम्: entered
• प्रविष्टम्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-विश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — PPP; Neuter singular (agreeing with ‘salilam’)

• धरणीतले: on/in the surface of the earth
• धरणीतले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणी + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (धरण्याः तलम्) — Neuter, Locative singular

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (narrating; includes quoted speech of the transformed being)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Huṃkāra-kūpa / miraculous well at Prabhāsa (implied)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred well’s water mysteriously withdraws into the earth as a being declares the cause of attaining human status; the landscape suggests coastal Prabhāsa with shrines in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Sacred water (salila)
• Earth (dharaṇī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual uplift is causally tied to sacred contact and grace; tīrtha miracles appear and withdraw, emphasizing reverence over possession.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The huṃkāra-manifested sacred water site near the Devikā riverbank in Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse underscores karmic causality and the transient manifestation of sacred waters.