Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 264

Devanagari script

इति श्रीस्कांदे महापुराण एकाशीतिसाहस्र्यां संहितायां सप्तमे प्रभासखंडे प्रथमे प्रभासक्षेत्रमाहात्म्ये नंदिनीगुफामाहात्म्यवर्णनंनाम चतुःषष्ट्यु त्तरद्विशततमोऽध्यायः

Transliteration

iti śrīskāṃde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ saptame prabhāsakhaṃḍe prathame prabhāsakṣetramāhātmye naṃdinīguphāmāhātmyavarṇanaṃnāma catuḥṣaṣṭyu ttaradviśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

Demikian berakhir bab ke-264, berjudul “Uraian Keagungan Gua Nandinī,” dalam Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa (Kitab Ketujuh) dari Śrī Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, pada bagian Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya (bagian pertama).

Word by Word

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative/end marker)

• śrīskāṃde: in the Śrī Skanda (Purāṇa)
• śrīskāṃde: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī-skānda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• mahāpurāṇe: in the Mahāpurāṇa
• mahāpurāṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-purāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• ekāśītisāhasryām: in the eighty-one-thousand (collection)
• ekāśītisāhasryām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ekāśīti-sāhasrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• saṃhitāyām: in the Saṃhitā
• saṃhitāyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃhitā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• saptame: in the seventh
• saptame: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• prabhāsakhaṃḍe: in the Prabhāsa section
• prabhāsakhaṃḍe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāsa-khaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• prathame: in the first
• prathame: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• prabhāsakṣetramāhātmye: in the greatness of Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• prabhāsakṣetramāhātmye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• naṃdinīguphāmāhātmyavarṇanam: description of the greatness of the Nandinī cave
• naṃdinīguphāmāhātmyavarṇanam: Sambandha (Title element/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naṃdinī-guphā-māhātmya-varṇana (प्रातिपदिक; नन्दिनी + गुफा + माहात्म्य + वर्णन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; शीर्षक-प्रयोगे

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (Naming/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम (naming particle: 'called')

• catuḥṣaṣṭyuttaradviśatatamaḥ: the 264th
• catuḥṣaṣṭyuttaradviśatatamaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catuḥ-ṣaṣṭi-uttara-dviśata-tama (प्रातिपदिक; चतुः + षष्टि + उत्तर + द्विशत + तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अध्यायस्य)

• adhyāyaḥ: chapter
• adhyāyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Narratorial colophon (textual closure formula)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nandinī-guhā (chapter topic)

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A manuscript-style closing panel: scribal flourish, chapter title banner ‘Nandinī-guhā-māhātmya’, and a quiet temple silhouette of Prabhāsa in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda Purāṇa
• Prabhāsakṣetra
• Nandinī-guhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It functions as a formal closure, preserving the scriptural structure and signaling the completion of a tīrtha’s Māhātmya narration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nandinī-guhā (the Nandinī Cave) within the larger sacred region of Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a colophon identifying the chapter and its topic.