Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 164

Devanagari script

पौत्रश्च निश्चितं तादृग्भवतीति न चेत्सुतः । प्रह्लादस्तु महायोगी वैष्णवो विष्णुवल्लभः

Transliteration

pautraśca niścitaṃ tādṛgbhavatīti na cetsutaḥ | prahlādastu mahāyogī vaiṣṇavo viṣṇuvallabhaḥ

Translation

Et si le fils n’est pas ainsi, alors le petit-fils, à coup sûr, devient de cette même nature. Mais Prahlāda est un grand yogin : un vaiṣṇava, dévoué à Viṣṇu et aimé de Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• पौत्रः: grandson
• पौत्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/conjunction)

• निश्चितम्: certainly
• निश्चितम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: निश्चित (प्रातिपदिक; √चि + नि)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (क्रियाविशेषण/adverbial accusative): नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थे—‘निश्चयेन/assuredly’

• तादृक्: of that kind, similar
• तादृक्: Karta-predicative (Subject complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तादृश्/तादृक् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (पौत्रः/सुतः-विशेषण)

• भवति: is/becomes
• भवति: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Vākyārtha-dyotaka (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/quotative particle)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Hetu/Condition (Condition marker/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (शर्त/conditional particle: ‘if’)

• सुतः: son
• सुतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• प्रह्लादः: Prahlāda
• प्रह्लादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रह्लाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/अन्वय-निबन्धक)

• महायोगी: a great yogin
• महायोगी: Karta-predicative (Appositional epithet/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + योगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (‘महान् योगी’)

• वैष्णवः: a devotee of Viṣṇu
• वैष्णवः: Karta-predicative (Appositional epithet/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैष्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समानाधिकरणम् (प्रह्लाद-विशेषण/उपाधि)

• विष्णुवल्लभः: beloved of Viṣṇu
• विष्णुवल्लभः: Karta-predicative (Appositional epithet/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + वल्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘विष्णोः वल्लभः’ = ‘beloved of Viṣṇu’)

Speaker

Narrator in Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya (contextual, likely Skanda’s discourse within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker praises Prahlāda as a great yogin and beloved of Viṣṇu, implying that Bali inherits Prahlāda’s virtues through lineage.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True nobility is measured by devotion and yogic virtue; Prahlāda is upheld as the model Vaiṣṇava regardless of demonic lineage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting is the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya within Prabhāsa, where narratives support the sanctity and fame of the kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is explicitly prescribed in this verse.