Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

वर्त्तते तच्छिरो यत्र वंशप्रोतं महावने । सारस्वतस्य शिष्येण कुशलेन निवेदितम्

Transliteration

varttate tacchiro yatra vaṃśaprotaṃ mahāvane | sārasvatasya śiṣyeṇa kuśalena niveditam

Translation

Là où se trouvait cette tête—fixée à une hampe de bambou dans la grande forêt—cela fut rapporté avec justesse par Kuśala, disciple de Sārasvata.

Word by Word

• varttate: is/exists; remains
• varttate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Determiner/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (समासपूर्वपद-रूप)

• śiraḥ: head
• śiraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Locative-relative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-प्रश्न/यदर्थ (relative adverb)

• vaṃśa: bamboo; lineage
• vaṃśa: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासपूर्वपद)

• protam: strung; threaded
• protam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pru/prav (धातु) + kta (क्त) (प्रोत)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (प्रोत = threaded/strung)

• mahāvane: in the great forest
• mahāvane: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महच्च तत् वनम्)

• sārasvatasya: of Sārasvata
• sārasvatasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sārasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• śiṣyeṇa: by the disciple
• śiṣyeṇa: Karana/Agent-in-passive (Instrumental/करण; कर्तृ-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• kuśalena: skilled; competent
• kuśalena: Visheshana (Agent-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kuśala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• niveditam: was reported; was informed
• niveditam: Kriya (Passive predicate/क्रियापद)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-vid (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मणि (reported/announced)

Speaker

Narrator voice

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a dense mahāvana, a severed head is seen fixed to a bamboo staff; a disciple (Kuśala) reports the unsettling discovery to his teacher’s circle, setting a chain of ritual and tīrtha action in motion.

Characters & Entities

• Sārasvata
• Kuśala
• mahāvana
• śiras (head)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge of a tirtha is preserved and authenticated through lineage and reliable testimony (śiṣya reporting to the king/sage).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader glorification remains Vastrāpatha kṣetra in Prabhāsa; this verse locates a key narrative object in the surrounding forest.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it provides logistical/legendary detail supporting the ensuing sacred act and its result.