Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

वपुः प्राप्तं तया यस्मात्तस्मात्पा र्थिवसत्तम । नाम्ना वपुरिति ख्याता सा बभूव वराप्सराः

Transliteration

vapuḥ prāptaṃ tayā yasmāttasmātpā rthivasattama | nāmnā vapuriti khyātā sā babhūva varāpsarāḥ

Translation

Karena ia memperoleh tubuh yang cemerlang (vapuḥ), maka, wahai raja terbaik, ia termasyhur dengan nama “Vapur” dan menjadi apsaras yang unggul.

Word by Word

• वपुः: beauty/body
• वपुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• प्राप्तम्: obtained/attained
• प्राप्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘प्राप्तम् (is) obtained’

• तया: by her
• तया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• यस्मात्: because/from which
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; तदनुबंध (correlative)

• पार्थिवसत्तम: O best of kings
• पार्थिवसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (पार्थिवः सत्तमः)

• नाम्ना: by name
• नाम्ना: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘नाम्ना’ = ‘by name’

• वपुर्: Vapu (as a name)
• वपुर्: Pratipadya (Name-apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (नामरूपेण)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/नामनिर्देश (quotative)

• ख्याता: was known/called
• ख्याता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वरा: excellent
• वरा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• अप्सराः: apsaras (celestial nymph)
• अप्सराः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (काव्ये प्रायः ‘अप्सराः’ रूपं एकवचनेऽपि दृश्यते)

Speaker

Pulastya (continuing narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (pārthiva-sattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The transformed woman now appears as an excellent apsaras, radiant and exquisitely formed; the narration explains her name ‘Vapur’ derived from her splendid body.

Characters & Entities

• Vapur (apsaras)
• Pārthiva-sattama (best of kings)
• Apsaras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Punya gained through sacred observance can refine even one’s embodied condition, symbolized by the attainment of a luminous ‘vapuḥ’ and a new divine identity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse ties the fruit to the earlier described sacred bathing context in Arbuda-khaṇḍa; the precise site is developed in adjacent verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the merit of the prescribed snāna culminates in transformation; no new ritual detail is added here.