Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

प्रासादं मेरुनामानं हेमप्राकारतोरणम् । चतुर्दशान्ये परितः प्रासादाः परिकल्पिताः । तेषां नामानि वक्ष्यामि प्रत्येकं तानि मे शृणु

Transliteration

prāsādaṃ merunāmānaṃ hemaprākāratoraṇam | caturdaśānye paritaḥ prāsādāḥ parikalpitāḥ | teṣāṃ nāmāni vakṣyāmi pratyekaṃ tāni me śṛṇu

Translation

‘ಮೇರು’ ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರಿನ ಪ್ರಾಸಾದವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಲಾಯಿತು; ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಸ್ವರ್ಣ ಪ್ರಾಕಾರಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ತೋರಣಗಳು ಇದ್ದವು. ಅದರ ಸುತ್ತಲೂ ಇನ್ನೂ ಹದಿನಾಲ್ಕು ಪ್ರಾಸಾದಗಳನ್ನು ವಿನ್ಯಾಸಗೊಳಿಸಲಾಯಿತು. ಅವುಗಳ ಹೆಸರುಗಳನ್ನು ಒಂದೊಂದಾಗಿ ನಾನು ಹೇಳುತ್ತೇನೆ—ನನ್ನಿಂದ ಕೇಳು.

Word by Word

• प्रासादम्: palace
• प्रासादम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāsāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = Masculine Acc singular

• मेरु-नामानम्: named ‘Meru’
• मेरु-नामानम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: meru (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मेरु नाम यस्य) = Acc singular adjective (प्रासादम्)

• हेम-प्राकार-तोरणम्: with golden ramparts and gateways
• हेम-प्राकार-तोरणम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hema (प्रातिपदिक) + prākāra (प्रातिपदिक) + toraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (हेमस्य प्राकारस्य तोरणम्/हेमप्राकारयुक्तं तोरणम्) = Acc singular adjective (प्रासादम्)

• चतुर्दश: fourteen
• चतुर्दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturdaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (अत्र ‘चतुर्दश’ = fourteen)

• अन्ये: other
• अन्ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (प्रासादाः) = Masculine Nom plural

• परितः: around
• परितः: Adhikarana (Spatial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paritaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb/postposition) = ‘around’

• प्रासादाः: palaces
• प्रासादाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāsāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन = Masculine Nom plural

• परिकल्पिताः: were constructed
• परिकल्पिताः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: parikalpita (कृदन्त, √कॢप् with परि, क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ ‘were constructed’ = past passive participle predicative

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, बहुवचन = Gen plural pronoun

• नामानि: names
• नामानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन = Neuter Acc plural

• वक्ष्यामि: I will tell
• वक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन = I will tell

• प्रत्येकम्: individually
• प्रत्येकम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pratyeka (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = ‘one by one/individually’

• तानि: those (names)
• तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन = Neuter Acc plural (ref. to names)

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचन (एन्क्लिटिक) = my/to me

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन = hear!

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Meru-prāsāda (within Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand central palace named ‘Meru’ rises with golden walls and gateways; around it, fourteen subsidiary palaces are arranged in a planned sacred ring, as the narrator prepares to list their names.

Characters & Entities

• Meru (prāsāda-name)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred space is envisioned as an ordered cosmos—one central Meru-like shrine with attendant sanctuaries, mirroring divine hierarchy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Someśvara within Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the Meru-named prāsāda and its surrounding shrines are described.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; the verse introduces a catalog of shrine-names as part of the site’s māhātmya.