Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

त्रैलोक्यविजयाकाङ्क्षी पुष्पकेण चचार ह । कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य विमानं तस्य पुष्पकम्

Transliteration

trailokyavijayākāṅkṣī puṣpakeṇa cacāra ha | kasyacittvatha kālasya vimānaṃ tasya puṣpakam

Translation

三界を征服せんと欲して、彼はプシュパカ（空飛ぶ車）にて遍歴した。しかるにある時、そのプシュパカこそが彼のヴィマーナ（天翔る乗り物）となった。

Word by Word

• त्रैलोक्य-विजय-आकाङ्क्षी: desiring conquest of the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्य-विजय-आकाङ्क्षी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रैलोक्य (प्रातिपदिक) + विजय (प्रातिपदिक) + आकाङ्क्षिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; ‘desiring the conquest of the three worlds’; agrees with implied subject (रावणः)

• पुष्पकेण: by the Puṣpaka (vehicle)
• पुष्पकेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्पक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular

• चचार: travelled
• चचार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — ‘wandered/travelled’

• ह: indeed
• ह: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — emphatic/metrical particle

• कस्यचित्: of some
• कस्यचित्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular; indefinite ‘of some’

• तु: then/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — particle

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Sequence marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रमसूचक) — indeclinable ‘then/now’

• कालस्य: time
• कालस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• विमानम्: aerial car
• विमानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• तस्य: his/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular (‘of him/that’)

• पुष्पकम्: Puṣpaka
• पुष्पकम्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्पक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; apposition to ‘विमानम्’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual field)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ten-headed Rāvaṇa rides the Puṣpaka-vimāna across the sky, eyes set on conquest; below, the Prabhāsa coastline and temple-spires hint at an unseen force that will soon halt him.

Characters & Entities

• Rāvaṇa
• Puṣpaka Vimāna
• Trailokya (three worlds)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

World-conquering ambition is portrayed as transient; sacred space will soon reveal a higher, unassailable divine sovereignty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative is moving toward Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where divine power will check even the Puṣpaka’s movement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse sets the narrative scene describing travel by vimāna.