Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । सुरभीशापसंतप्ता प्रागुपात्तदशाफला । सरस्वती यानभूता तस्य सा विष्णुना कृता

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | surabhīśāpasaṃtaptā prāgupāttadaśāphalā | sarasvatī yānabhūtā tasya sā viṣṇunā kṛtā

Translation

ईश्वर ने कहा— “सुरभि के शाप से संतप्त और पूर्व में धारण की हुई दशा का फल भोगती सरस्वती को विष्णु ने उसका वाहन बना दिया।”

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सुरभी-शाप-संतप्ता: tormented by Surabhī’s curse
• सुरभी-शाप-संतप्ता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुरभी (प्रातिपदिक) + शाप (प्रातिपदिक) + संतप्त (कृदन्त; तप्-धातु, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (past passive participle)

• प्राक्: formerly, earlier
• प्राक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्राक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• उपात्त-दशा-फला: having obtained the fruit of that condition/state
• उपात्त-दशा-फला: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उपात्त (कृदन्त; आ+दा-धातु, क्त) + दशा (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यान-भूता: having become a vehicle
• यान-भूता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यान (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (कृदन्त; भू-धातु, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• कृता: was made/created
• कृता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगार्थे (passive sense)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī-tīrtha (Prabhāsa context)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/assembly (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara narrates that Sarasvatī, afflicted by Surabhī’s curse and bearing the fruit of a prior condition, was made by Viṣṇu into Vāḍava’s conveyance.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Sarasvatī
• Viṣṇu
• Surabhī
• Śāpa (curse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karmic conditions (even from curses) are integrated into divine order, becoming instruments for cosmic welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s greatness is highlighted by connecting it to Sarasvatī and cosmic interventions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; it is a mythic explanation involving Sarasvatī’s transformed role.