Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

एवमुक्त्वा समुद्रस्य तदा देव्या समर्प्पितः । वाडवोऽग्निः सरस्वत्या सुरादेशान्महाबलः

Transliteration

evamuktvā samudrasya tadā devyā samarppitaḥ | vāḍavo'gniḥ sarasvatyā surādeśānmahābalaḥ

Translation

ಹೀಗೆ ಹೇಳಿ, ದೇವೀ ಸರಸ್ವತಿ ದೇವತೆಗಳ ಆಜ್ಞೆಯಂತೆ ಮಹಾಬಲಶಾಲಿಯಾದ ವಾಡವ ಅಗ್ನಿಯನ್ನು ಸಮುದ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಸಮರ್ಪಿಸಿದಳು।

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (thus/in this manner)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (वच् धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive): 'having said'

• समुद्रस्य: of the ocean
• समुद्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• देव्या: by the goddess
• देव्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• समर्पितः: was handed over
• समर्पितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + √ऋ (ऋ धातु) / समर्प् (धातु-प्रयोग) → समर्पित (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (भूतकर्मणि-क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (was entrusted/handed over)

• वाडवः: the Vāḍava
• वाडवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाडव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अग्निः: fire
• अग्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अप्पोजिशन (apposition to 'वाडवः')

• सरस्वत्या: by Sarasvatī
• सरस्वत्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• सुरादेशात्: from/according to the gods' command
• सुरादेशात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + आदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; 'सुराणाम् आदेशः' (command of the gods)

• महाबलः: mighty, of great strength
• महाबलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + बल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'वाडवः/अग्निः')

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Māhātmya narration style within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-samudra-tīrtha (Vāḍava-nyāsa context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sarasvatī, luminous and composed, hands over the blazing Vāḍava fire to the personified Ocean; devas witness the transfer as a solemn cosmic rite.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Samudra (Ocean)
• Vāḍava Agni
• Devas (Suras)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power is to be placed under dharmic restraint—Sarasvatī entrusts even fearsome fire only under the gods’ ordained order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, especially the sacred meeting of Sarasvatī and the Ocean (saṅgama) within the Prabhāsa Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly in this verse; it narrates a sacred episode establishing the tīrtha’s divine history.