Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । वस्त्रापथस्य क्षेत्रस्य प्रभावं प्रथमं शृणु । पश्चाद्भवस्य माहात्म्यं शृणु त्वं च वरानने

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | vastrāpathasya kṣetrasya prabhāvaṃ prathamaṃ śṛṇu | paścādbhavasya māhātmyaṃ śṛṇu tvaṃ ca varānane

Translation

ឥશ્વរៈ (Īśvara) បានមានព្រះបន្ទូលថា៖ «ជាមុន សូមស្តាប់អំពីព្រះតេជៈ និងសិរីរុងរឿងនៃក្សេត្រ (kṣetra) វាស្ត្រាបថ (Vastrāpatha)។ បន្ទាប់មក ឱ នារីមុខស្រស់ សូមស្តាប់អំពីមហាត្ម្យៈ (māhātmya) នៃភវៈ (Bhava—ព្រះសិវៈ) ផង»។

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• vastrāpathasya: of Vastrāpatha
• vastrāpathasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vastrāpatha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vastrāṇām āpathaḥ)

• kṣetrasya: of the sacred field
• kṣetrasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• prabhāvam: glory, power
• prabhāvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• prathamam: first
• prathamam: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: first)

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• paścāt: afterwards
• paścāt: Kāla (Time/sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paścāt (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: afterwards)

• bhavasya: of Bhava (Śiva)
• bhavasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• māhātmyam: greatness, sacred glory
• māhātmyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• varānane: O fair-faced one
• varānane: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (vara + ānana: ‘beautiful-faced’)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varānanā (fair-faced one; likely Pārvatī/Devī in Śaiva dialogue framing, depending on recension)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara begins instruction, addressing the listener as ‘varānane’, promising first the glory of Vastrāpatha-kṣetra and then Bhava’s greatness.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Īśvara)
• Bhava
• Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s glory is twofold—its kṣetra-prabhāva (sacred potency) and the Deity’s līlā/māhātmya; both should be heard with devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hearing (śravaṇa) of the māhātmya is itself implied as a meritorious act, though no specific rite is detailed in this verse.