Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

कोटिभूतसमायुक्ता महाकाया महाप्रभा । जीर्णे गृहे तथोद्याने प्रासादाट्टालके पथि

Transliteration

koṭibhūtasamāyuktā mahākāyā mahāprabhā | jīrṇe gṛhe tathodyāne prāsādāṭṭālake pathi

Translation

Accompagnée de crores d’esprits, au corps immense et à l’éclat souverain—on la voit dans les maisons en ruine, dans les jardins, sur les tours des palais et le long des routes.

Word by Word

• कोटिभूतसमायुक्ता: joined/attended by crores of beings
• कोटिभूतसमायुक्ता: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि + भूत + समा + युक्ता (प्रातिपदिक; युज्-धातु → युक्त, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कोटिभिः भूतैः समायुक्ता)

• महाकाया: having a huge body
• महाकाया: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + काय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महान् कायः यस्याः)

• महाप्रभा: of great radiance
• महाप्रभा: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + प्रभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः

• जीर्णे: in a dilapidated
• जीर्णे: Visheshana (Qualifier of locus/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जॄ (धातु) → जीर्ण (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (worn/decayed)

• गृहे: house
• गृहे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तथा: also/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक (also/likewise)

• उद्याने: in a garden
• उद्याने: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उद्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• प्रासादाट्टालके: in a palace and a watch-tower
• प्रासादाट्टालके: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद + अट्टालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समासः (प्रासादश्च अट्टालकश्च)

• पथि: on the road
• पथि: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पथिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; पथिन्-शब्द (irregular stem)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣetra-dūtī/Mahāraudrī’s roaming-protection within Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Night or twilight scene: the vast radiant Mahāraudrī with crores of bhūtas; silhouettes of ruined houses, a garden grove, tall palace-tower, and a road with pilgrims; the devī’s aura illuminates the liminal landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣetra-dūtī (implied)
• Bhūtas (spirits)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred field is portrayed as spiritually alive and guarded in all spaces—public and private—calling for vigilance and purity of conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The protected precincts of Prabhāsa-kṣetra, watched by its guardian power and attendant spirits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it is a descriptive warning/assurance of protection.