Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

भगवञ्छृणु नो वाक्यमस्माकं तु भयावहम् । निमंत्रिताः स्म सर्वे वा इल्वलेन वयं प्रभो

Transliteration

bhagavañchṛṇu no vākyamasmākaṃ tu bhayāvaham | nimaṃtritāḥ sma sarve vā ilvalena vayaṃ prabho

Translation

હે ભગવાન! અમારા ભયજનક વચનો સાંભળો. હે પ્રભુ! અમને બધાને ઇલ્વલે નિમંત્રિત કર્યા છે.

Word by Word

• bhagavan: O Lord
• bhagavan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative); एकवचन

• śṛṇu: hear, listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• naḥ: our
• naḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive) बहुवचन (enclitic) = 'of us/our'

• vākyam: statement, words
• vākyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• asmākam: of us
• asmākam: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); बहुवचन

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) = contrastive particle

• bhayāvaham: fear-bringing, terrifying
• bhayāvaham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक) + āvaha (प्रातिपदिक; √vah (वह्) with ā-; 'bringing')
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying vākyam)

• nimaṃtritāḥ: invited
• nimaṃtritāḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni + √mantr (मन्त्र्) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त = 'invited'

• sma: indeed/just (past marker)
• sma: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्म-निपात) = past/recall particle, often with perfect/past sense

• sarve: all
• sarve: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied 'we')

• vā: or / indeed
• vā: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्प/particle) = disjunctive/emphatic 'or/indeed'

• ilvalena: by Ilvala
• ilvalena: Karana (Instrument/Agentive instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ilvala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• vayam: we
• vayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); बहुवचन

• prabho: O master
• prabho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas (speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: अगस्त्याश्रम (कथात्मक)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: देवी

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmanas stand before Agastya with folded hands, faces anxious; the lead speaker addresses him as ‘Bhagavan’, confessing fear and Ilvala’s invitation.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Ilvala
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The faithful openly confess danger to a sage, showing humility and reliance on dharmic guardianship rather than retaliation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The discourse is set within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya; the immediate locus is Agastya’s āśrama as a dharmic refuge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an appeal for protection in response to a dangerous invitation.