Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

कृत्वा पद्मासनं धीरो निश्चलोऽभूद्द्विजोत्तमः । विधाय कन्धराबंधमृजुनासावलोककः

Transliteration

kṛtvā padmāsanaṃ dhīro niścalo'bhūddvijottamaḥ | vidhāya kandharābaṃdhamṛjunāsāvalokakaḥ

Translation

Ayant pris la posture du lotus, le ferme, le meilleur des deux-fois-nés, demeura immobile. Ajustant correctement nuque et épaules, il fixa doucement le regard le long de la ligne droite du nez.

Word by Word

• kṛtvā: having made/assumed
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक (having done/made)

• padma-āsanam: the lotus posture
• padma-āsanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma + āsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः पद्म + आसन (तत्पुरुष: lotus-seat posture)

• dhīraḥ: steadfast
• dhīraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (dvijottamaḥ)

• niścalaḥ: motionless
• niścalaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niścala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• abhūt: became/was
• abhūt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• dvija-uttamaḥ: the best of Brahmins
• dvija-uttamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः द्विजः उत्तमः (कर्मधारय)

• vidhāya: having arranged
• vidhāya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + √dhā (धातु)
• Form: ल्यप्/य-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक (having arranged/placed)

• kandharā-bandham: the neck-lock/neck restraint
• kandharā-bandham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kandharā + bandha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः कन्धरा + बन्ध (तत्पुरुष: neck-band/neck-restraint)

• ṛju-nāsā-avalokakaḥ: gazing at the straight line of the nose (nose-tip gaze)
• ṛju-nāsā-avalokakaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṛju + nāsā + avalokaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (dvijottamaḥ); समासः ऋजु-नासा + अवलोकक (तत्पुरुष: one whose gaze is on the straight nose-tip)

Speaker

Sārasvata (continued narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The dvija-yogi sits in perfect padmāsana, utterly still; shoulders and neck aligned; eyes gently set along the nose-line, conveying disciplined inwardness.

Characters & Entities

• Vāmana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner steadiness is cultivated through bodily discipline—stable posture and focused gaze support meditation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The yogic practice is situated in Vastrāpatha Mahākṣetra within Prabhāsa, depicting the kṣetra as a place fit for dhyāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Padmāsana, stillness, postural alignment, and nose-tip/straight-nose gaze (nasāgra-dṛṣṭi) as meditation aids.