Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

देवा ऊचुः । तत्रस्थां त्वां समालोक्य मर्त्त्या यांति त्रिविष्टपम् । विना यज्ञैस्तथा दानैः स्वर्गः संकीर्णतां गतः । नान्यत्कारणमस्तीह निषेधस्य सुरेश्वरि

Transliteration

devā ūcuḥ | tatrasthāṃ tvāṃ samālokya marttyā yāṃti triviṣṭapam | vinā yajñaistathā dānaiḥ svargaḥ saṃkīrṇatāṃ gataḥ | nānyatkāraṇamastīha niṣedhasya sureśvari

Translation

神々は言った。「あなたがそこに住まわれるのを見て、世の人は祭祀も布施もなくトリヴィシュタパ（天界）へ昇ってしまいます。天は混み合っております。この禁制の理由はそれ以外にございません、天衆の主たる女神よ。」

Word by Word

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• sthām: standing/remaining
• sthām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) + ktā (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle sense), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'स्थित' अर्थे

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• samālokya: having seen
• samālokya: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-ā-lok (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृत्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), 'समालोक्य' = having seen

• marttyāḥ: mortals
• marttyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• yānti: go
• yānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• triviṣṭapam: heaven (Triviṣṭapa)
• triviṣṭapam: Gati-karma (Goal/Object of motion/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + viṣṭapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (त्रयाणां विष्टपानां/त्रिविध-विष्टपः)

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गसदृश-निपात (preposition) ‘without’

• yajñaiḥ: with sacrifices
• yajñaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/रीतिवाचक (adverb: likewise/so)

• dānaiḥ: with gifts/charity
• dānaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• svargaḥ: heaven
• svargaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• saṃkīrṇatām: a state of mixture/being crowded
• saṃkīrṇatām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkīrṇatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (state of being mixed/confused)

• gataḥ: has become/has gone
• gataḥ: Kriya (Predicative action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु) + ktá (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle used predicatively), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘गतः’ = has gone/has become

• na: not
• na: Kriya-pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• anyat: other
• anyat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘अन्यत्’ = other (thing)

• kāraṇam: cause
• kāraṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• asti: is/exists
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (adverb: here)

• niṣedhasya: of the prohibition
• niṣedhasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṣedha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• sureśvari: O queen/lady of the gods
• sureśvari: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sureśvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सुराणाम् ईश्वरी)

Speaker

Devagaṇa (the gods)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devas, concerned, address the Goddess: mortals are ascending to Svarga merely by seeing her; Svarga is depicted crowded with arriving souls; devas plead for a restriction.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Sureśvarī)
• Triviṣṭapa (Svarga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine darśana can bestow immense fruit, yet the cosmos also preserves dharmic order so that merit, effort, and ritual discipline remain meaningful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The place where the Goddess abides on Arbuda mountain—her local seat within the Arbuda sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yajña (sacrifice) and dāna (charity) are referenced as standard means to attain svarga, contrasted with the extraordinary fruit of darśana here.