Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

समुद्रान्तेऽगमद्दिव्यां पुरीं महिषपालिताम् । अर्चितो हि मुनिस्तेन महिषेण महात्मना

Transliteration

samudrānte'gamaddivyāṃ purīṃ mahiṣapālitām | arcito hi munistena mahiṣeṇa mahātmanā

Translation

Au bord de l’océan, il parvint à une cité divine gouvernée par Mahiṣa. Là, le sage fut véritablement honoré par ce Mahiṣa à la grande âme.

Word by Word

• samudra-ante: at the seashore
• samudra-ante: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (समुद्रस्य अन्तः)

• agamat: went
• agamat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• divyām: divine
• divyām: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: divya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (पुरीम्)

• purīm: city
• purīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mahiṣa-pālitām: ruled/protected by Mahiṣa
• mahiṣa-pālitām: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahiṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + pālita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; पाल्-धातु, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (महिषेण/महिषस्य पालिता) विशेषण (पुरीम्)

• arcitaḥ: was honored
• arcitaḥ: Karta (Grammatical subject in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (was honored)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• muniḥ: the sage
• muniḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tena: by him
• tena: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• mahiṣeṇa: by Mahiṣa
• mahiṣeṇa: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तेन इत्यस्य विशेषण/अप्पोज़िशन

• mahātmanā: by the great-souled one
• mahātmanā: Karana (Qualifier/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (महिṣeṇa)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Samudrānta-Prabhāsa (sea-edge zone)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (implied by earlier address)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada arrives at a luminous coastal city; the ruler Mahiṣa receives him with reverence—offering arghya and a seat—while the ocean glitters behind city walls and temple spires.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Mahiṣa (Mahiṣāsura)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even amidst asuric power, the sanctity of a muni is recognized—honoring sages is a marker of dharma and brings consequence in the narrative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider Prabhāsa coastal sacred zone (samudrānta) frames the episode; the māhātmya emphasizes holiness tied to place and event.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hospitality and honoring a sage (arcanā/satkāra) is implied rather than formally prescribed.