Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

व्रजध्वं भूतले शीघ्रमगस्त्यो यत्र तिष्ठति । व्रतचर्यारतो नित्यं प्रभासे क्षेत्र उत्तमे

Transliteration

vrajadhvaṃ bhūtale śīghramagastyo yatra tiṣṭhati | vratacaryārato nityaṃ prabhāse kṣetra uttame

Translation

Allez rapidement sur terre là où demeure Agastya — toujours dévoué à l'observance des vœux sacrés — à Prabhāsa, le plus excellent des champs saints.

Word by Word

• vrajadhvam: go, proceed
• vrajadhvam: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• bhūtale: on the earth/ground
• bhūtale: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūtala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; देशाधिकरण

• śīghram: quickly
• śīghram: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śīghra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• agastyaḥ: Agastya
• agastyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• tiṣṭhati: stands, stays
• tiṣṭhati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• vrata-caryā-rataḥ: devoted to the practice of vows
• vrata-caryā-rataḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक) + caryā (प्रातिपदिक) + rata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (व्रतचर्यायां रतः)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: always)

• prabhāse: in Prabhāsa
• prabhāse: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; देशाधिकरण

• kṣetre: in the sacred field/place
• kṣetre: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; देशाधिकरण

• uttame: excellent, best
• uttame: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from narrative flow; v.27 reports the Devas acted ‘as spoken by Brahmā’)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Agastya-āśrama vicinity)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas journey swiftly across the earth toward Prabhāsa; in the serene āśrama, Agastya sits in steady vow-observance, surrounded by sacred fires and disciples, with the sea’s presence felt nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra
• Suras (Devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places and vow-bearing sages become refuges for the world; disciplined spiritual practice supports cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra is explicitly praised as ‘kṣetra uttama’—the finest sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse highlights vrata-caryā (disciplined observance of vows) as Agastya’s constant practice, without detailing a specific vow.