Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । साधु पृष्टं त्वया देवि यद्गोप्यं स्वसुतेष्वपि । तत्तेऽहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि अप्रसिद्धागमोदितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | sādhu pṛṣṭaṃ tvayā devi yadgopyaṃ svasuteṣvapi | tatte'haṃ saṃpravakṣyāmi aprasiddhāgamoditam

Translation

Īśvara dit : Ta question est juste, ô Déesse, car ceci est un secret, même parmi ses propres fils. À présent je te l’exposerai, selon l’enseignement de la tradition āgama, peu connue.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (3rd person singular)

• साधु: well; good
• साधु: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साधु (अव्यय/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रशंसार्थक-अव्यय (approving particle/adverb)

• पृष्टम्: asked
• पृष्टम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √प्रच्छ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) → पृष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular); कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘asked’

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचन (Instrumental, Singular)

• देवि: O देवी
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचन (Feminine, Vocative, Singular)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular); सम्बन्धक (relative)

• गोप्यम्: secret; to be concealed
• गोप्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गोप्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• स्वसुतेषु: even among (one's) own sons
• स्वसुतेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-बहुवचन (Masculine, Locative, Plural)

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-एकवचन (Dative, Singular)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative, Singular)

• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: I shall explain fully
• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+प्र√वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (1st person singular)

• अप्रसिद्धागमोदितम्: taught in the (scriptural) tradition yet not widely known
• अप्रसिद्धागमोदितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-प्रसिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + आगम (प्रातिपदिक) + उदित (√उद् + क्त)
• Form: समासः (बहुपद-तत्पुरुषप्रायः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) seated in serene majesty, turning toward Devī with a gesture of confidential instruction; a subtle aura suggests ‘guhya āgama’ being revealed, with Prabhāsa’s coastal shrine-land hinted in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Āgama (tradition)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Revelation is given to sincere inquiry; sacred knowledge is guarded yet compassionately disclosed for dharmic uplift.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching belongs to the Prabhāsa Kṣetra māhātmya cycle, grounding esoteric lore in sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse signals an āgamic explanation to follow.