Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

कृत्वा महीमल्पतरां वपुः कृत्वा तु वामनम् । पदत्रयं याचयित्वा विश्वरूपमगाः कथम्

Transliteration

kṛtvā mahīmalpatarāṃ vapuḥ kṛtvā tu vāmanam | padatrayaṃ yācayitvā viśvarūpamagāḥ katham

Translation

«Après avoir rendu la terre “plus petite” et pris le corps d’un nain en tant que Vāmana, tu as demandé trois pas ; comment donc es-tu devenu la Forme universelle ?»

Word by Word

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• mahīm: the earth
• mahīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• alpatarām: smaller / very small
• alpatarām: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: alpa-tara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तृतीय-तुलनात्मक (comparative) विशेषण

• vapuḥ: body / form
• vapuḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vapus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• tu: but / indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• vāmanam: Vāmana (dwarf form)
• vāmanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāmana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (रूप-निर्देश)

• pada-trayam: three steps
• pada-trayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada + traya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रीणि पदानि)

• yācayitvā: having asked/begged for
• yācayitvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yāc (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रयोग (causative) + क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• viśva-rūpam: universal form
• viśva-rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (विश्वं रूपं)

• agāḥ: you went / you became
• agāḥ: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• katham: how?
• katham: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्न-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

Speaker

Bāṇa (Bali’s son)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage or interlocutor questions the Lord: the dwarf Vāmana who asked three steps suddenly manifests as towering Trivikrama/Viśvarūpa spanning worlds, with the earth appearing small beneath his feet.

Characters & Entities

• Bāṇa
• Vāmana (Viṣṇu)
• Viśvarūpa
• Earth (Mahī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Divine can appear humble to receive a gift and yet be limitless—teaching that God’s forms serve dharma and the devotee’s transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The dialogue is preserved in the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, contributing to the sacred prestige of the region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse references the act of asking and granting ‘three steps’—a model for vowed gifting (dāna) and keeping one’s word.