Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

यत्र साम्बं पुरस्कृत्य भविष्यति कथानकम् । प्रोच्यते तत्पुनर्लोके सांबमेव मुनिव्रताः

Transliteration

yatra sāmbaṃ puraskṛtya bhaviṣyati kathānakam | procyate tatpunarloke sāṃbameva munivratāḥ

Translation

堅き誓戒を保つ牟尼たちよ。サーンバを先頭に据えて語られるその物語は、世において再びただ「サーンバ」として知られる。

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Desha-Adhikarana (Locative sense/देश-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• साम्बम्: Sāmba
• साम्बम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• पुरस्कृत्य: having put forward / having honored
• पुरस्कृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् + कृ (धातु) → पुरस्कृत्य (कृदन्त-अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): ‘having placed in front / having honored’

• भविष्यति: will be / will occur
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्/साधारण-भविष्यत्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कथानकम्: a narrative, story
• कथानकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथानक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रोच्यते: is proclaimed / is told
• प्रोच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), कर्मणि-प्रयोग, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘कथानकम्’ इत्यस्य निर्देशः

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kala (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्तिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: again)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• साम्बम्: Sāmba
• साम्बम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• एव: indeed / only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (particle: only/indeed)

• मुनिव्रताः: O you of sage-like vows
• मुनिव्रताः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनेः व्रतम् येषाम्) — सम्बोधनार्थे (vocative-sense)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni-vratāḥ / dvija-ṛṣis (assembly of sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forest-āśrama assembly at Prabhāsa: steady-vowed sages seated in a semicircle as the narrator announces a kathā with Sāmba placed foremost, implying a named scripture-tradition.

Characters & Entities

• Sāmba

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic teachings are organized around exemplary figures; centering a narrative on a key devotee or hero preserves its intended dharmic message.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The surrounding section is the Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya; this verse itself focuses on identifying a Sāmba-centered narration rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it identifies a Sāmba-focused narrative tradition.