Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

वृद्धभावे यतस्तेषामृषीणां दर्शनं गतः । अतो वृद्धप्रभासं तत्कीर्त्यते वसुधातले

Transliteration

vṛddhabhāve yatasteṣāmṛṣīṇāṃ darśanaṃ gataḥ | ato vṛddhaprabhāsaṃ tatkīrtyate vasudhātale

Translation

ព្រោះវាបានប្រទានទស្សនៈ (darśana) ដល់ព្រះឥសីទាំងនោះ នៅពេលពួកគេជរា ដូច្នេះនៅលើផែនដី វាត្រូវបានល្បីថា «វృద్ధ-ប្រភាស»។

Word by Word

• वृद्धभावे: in the state of old age
• वृद्धभावे: Adhikarana (Cause/condition locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्ध + भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष (वृद्धस्य भावः)

• यतः: since/because
• यतः: Hetu-marker (Reason indicator)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: since/wherefrom)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Plural), सर्वनाम

• ऋषीणाम्: of the sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Plural)

• दर्शनम्: sight, दर्शन
• दर्शनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन (Singular)

• गतः: went/attained
• गतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन (Singular); धातु: गम्

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Discourse connector (Reason-result)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (therefore/from this)

• वृद्धप्रभासम्: (the place called) Vṛddha-Prabhāsa
• वृद्धप्रभासम्: Karma (Object in passive/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्ध + प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); कर्मधारय (वृद्धः प्रभासः)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Anaphoric determiner (निर्देशक)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular), सर्वनाम

• कीर्त्यते: is called/celebrated
• कीर्त्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• वसुधातले: on the surface of the earth
• वसुधातले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुधा + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वसुधायाः तलम्)

Speaker

Sūta (contextual narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vṛddha-Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene tableau: aged sages with walking staffs and wrinkled faces receive luminous darśana of a liṅga; the landscape is calm, and the name ‘Vṛddha-Prabhāsa’ is implied as a sacred epithet arising from the event.

Characters & Entities

• Vṛddhaprabhāsa
• Ṛṣis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s name preserves its sacred history, guiding later pilgrims toward faith through remembrance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vṛddha-Prabhāsa tīrtha in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse provides the place-name rationale for pilgrimage tradition.