Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

अष्टाविंशतिमे तत्र त्रेतायुगमुखे तदा । इक्ष्वाकुर्नाम राजाऽभूत्सूर्यवंशविभूषणः

Transliteration

aṣṭāviṃśatime tatra tretāyugamukhe tadā | ikṣvākurnāma rājā'bhūtsūryavaṃśavibhūṣaṇaḥ

Translation

Là, lors de la vingt-huitième occurrence, à l’aurore du Tretā Yuga, parut un roi nommé Ikṣvāku, joyau de la dynastie solaire.

Word by Word

• अष्टाविंशतिमे: in the twenty-eighth
• अष्टाविंशतिमे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टाविंशतिम (प्रातिपदिक; अष्टाविंशति + म)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम् (कल्पे/युगे इत्यादि अध्याहार्य)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• त्रेतायुगमुखे: at the beginning of the Tretā-yuga
• त्रेतायुगमुखे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता-युग-मुख (प्रातिपदिक; त्रेता + युग + मुख)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रेतायुगस्य मुखे)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• इक्ष्वाकुः: Ikṣvāku
• इक्ष्वाकुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इक्ष्वाकु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; व्यक्तिनाम (proper noun)

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशार्थक (particle meaning ‘by name’)

• राजा: king
• राजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अभूत्: was/became
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सूर्यवंशविभूषणः: ornament/glory of the Solar dynasty
• सूर्यवंशविभूषणः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूर्य-वंश-विभूषण (प्रातिपदिक; सूर्य + वंश + विभूषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सूर्यवंशस्य विभूषणः); विशेषणम् (इक्ष्वाकुः/राजा)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Prabhāsa Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Vṛṣabheśa context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the dawn of Tretā Yuga, a regal Ikṣvāku appears—crowned, radiant—set against a subtle cosmic dawn; Prabhāsa’s shrine presence hints that his reign will be sanctified by liṅga worship.

Characters & Entities

• Ikṣvāku
• Sūryavaṃśa
• Tretā Yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇas anchor sacred places in royal and cosmic history, showing how dharmic kings connect their rule to pilgrimage and worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), where the ensuing narrative of Ikṣvāku’s worship unfolds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is listed yet; the verse introduces the devotee-king who will perform Liṅga worship.