Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततस्तस्मै नरेन्द्राय क्रियायोगं जनार्द्दनः । यथायोग्यं नृपश्रेष्ठ कथयामास केशवः

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | tatastasmai narendrāya kriyāyogaṃ janārddanaḥ | yathāyogyaṃ nṛpaśreṣṭha kathayāmāsa keśavaḥ

Translation

പുലസ്ത്യൻ പറഞ്ഞു—അതിനുശേഷം ജനാർദ്ദനനായ കേശവൻ, ഹേ നൃപശ്രേഷ്ഠാ, ആ നരേന്ദ്രനോട് യഥായോഗ്യം ക്രിയായോഗം ഉപദേശിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• पुलस्त्यः: Pulastya
• पुलस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — perfect, 3rd person singular

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kala/Anukrama (Sequence/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रभव)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) — क्रम/अनन्तरार्थ

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन — pronoun dative singular

• नरेन्द्राय: to the king
• नरेन्द्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन — masculine dative singular

• क्रियायोगम्: kriyā-yoga
• क्रियायोगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रिया (प्रातिपदिक) + योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — masculine accusative singular

• जनार्द्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्द्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्द्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• यथायोग्यम्: as appropriate
• यथायोग्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + योग्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास, अव्यय (adverb) — ‘यथा योग्यं’

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — masculine vocative singular

• कथयामास: narrated / explained
• कथयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; नामधातु from कथा)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — periphrastic perfect sense ‘told’

• केशवः: Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• केशवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

Speaker

Pulastya (narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (implied) the inquiring audience within Skanda Purāṇa’s frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Keśava/Janārdana instructs the king in kriyāyoga—an intimate teaching scene: the deity radiant, four-armed, with calm authority; the king seated respectfully, hands folded, receiving the ordinance.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• Keśava (Viṣṇu)
• Ambārīṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True teaching is compassionate and tailored—God gives a practicable path suited to the seeker.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named in this line; it continues the Arbuda-khaṇḍa discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kriyāyoga is the subject being taught, implying actionable worship and disciplined practice.