Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 147

Devanagari script

इदं हि कारणं प्रोक्तं क्षेत्राणां चैव गोपने । एतत्ते कथितं सर्वं सिद्धिर्येन सुदुर्ल्लभा

Transliteration

idaṃ hi kāraṇaṃ proktaṃ kṣetrāṇāṃ caiva gopane | etatte kathitaṃ sarvaṃ siddhiryena sudurllabhā

Translation

これこそが、聖なるクシェトラ（霊場）を秘匿する理由であると説かれている。私はあなたにすべてを語った。これによって稀有な成就（シッディ）が確保されるのである。

Word by Word

• idam: this
• idam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• hi: indeed, for
• hi: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

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

• proktam: has been stated
• proktam: Karma (Predicate complement/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra+vac (धातु) → prokta (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘said/declared’

• kṣetrāṇām: of the sacred places/fields
• kṣetrāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction), अव्यय

• eva: indeed, just
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (emphatic particle), अव्यय

• gopane: in guarding/protecting
• gopane: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gopana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• te: to you/your
• te: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive) एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kathitam: told
• kathitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु) → kathita (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘told’

• sarvam: all, entire
• sarvam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• siddhiḥ: attainment, success
• siddhiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• yena: by which
• yena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक सर्वनाम

• sudurllabhā: very difficult to obtain
• sudurllabhā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su+dur+labhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—उपसर्गपूर्वक-तत्पुरुष (su + dur + labha)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (as model kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda concludes a teaching to Devī: a symbolic ‘fence of dharma’ around a radiant kṣetra—priests, guardians, and devotees maintaining order, cleaning ghāṭas, preventing misconduct—while siddhi is depicted as a lotus rising from the sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Kṣetra
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places must be protected through right conduct; such reverence supports rare spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa is the broader focus of the section, though the verse speaks generally of safeguarding kṣetras.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it emphasizes guarding and honoring sacred sites (kṣetra-gopana).