Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30
Devanagari script
तस्मान्निवर्तनं युक्तं मम वाक्येन ते विभो । दर्शयित्वा च मां विष्णोर्ज्येष्ठत्वं व्रज सांप्रतम्
Transliteration
tasmānnivartanaṃ yuktaṃ mama vākyena te vibho | darśayitvā ca māṃ viṣṇorjyeṣṭhatvaṃ vraja sāṃpratam
Translation
അതുകൊണ്ട്, ഹേ വിഭോ! എന്റെ വാക്കനുസരിച്ച് നീ മടങ്ങുന്നതാണ് യുക്തം. എന്നെ സാക്ഷിയായി കാണിച്ച് ഇപ്പോൾ വിഷ്ണുവിന്മേൽ നിന്റെ ജ്യേഷ്ഠത്വം സ്ഥാപിക്കാൻ പോകുക.
Word by Word
तस्मात्therefore/from that
तस्मात्:
Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/source: ‘therefore/from that’)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन
निवर्तनम्returning/turning back
निवर्तनम्:
Karta (Subject of ‘yuktam’)
TypeNoun
Rootनि + वृत् (धातु)
Formल्युट्-प्रत्यय (verbal noun/action noun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘turning back/return’
युक्तम्is proper
युक्तम्:
Pradhāna-nāmapada (Predicate adjective)
TypeAdjective
Rootयुज् (धातु)
Formक्त-प्रत्यय (past participle used adjectivally), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘proper/fitting’
ममmy
मम:
Sambandha (Genitive relation)
TypeNoun
Rootअस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formषष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन
वाक्येनby (my) statement
वाक्येन:
Karaṇa (Means: ‘by my word/advice’)
TypeNoun
Rootवाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन
तेto you/for you
ते:
Sampradāna (Recipient)
TypeNoun
Rootयुष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formचतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (enclitic)
विभोO mighty one
विभो:
Sambodhana (Address)
TypeNoun
Rootविभु (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन
दर्शयित्वाhaving shown
दर्शयित्वा:
Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
TypeVerb
Rootदृश् (धातु)
Formणिच् (causative) + क्त्वान्त (absolutive): दर्शयित्वा ‘having shown’
चand
च:
Samuccaya (Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)
माम्me
माम्:
Karma (Object of ‘darśayitvā’)
TypeNoun
Rootअस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formद्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन
विष्णोःof Viṣṇu
विष्णोः:
Sambandha (Genitive relation)
TypeNoun
Rootविष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन
ज्येष्ठत्वम्seniority/supremacy
ज्येष्ठत्वम्:
Karma (Object/goal to be attained)
TypeNoun
Rootज्येष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक) + त्व (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
Formभाववाचक-तद्धित (त्व), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन
व्रजgo/attain
व्रज:
Kriyā (Command)
TypeVerb
Rootव्रज् (धातु)
Formलोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद
साम्प्रतम्now/at present
साम्प्रतम्:
Kālādhi karaṇa (Temporal adverb)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootसाम्प्रतम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-नपुंसक)
Formकालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)
Speaker
Ketakī flower
Visual Art Cues
Scene: The flower/witness urges Brahmā to turn back, offering itself as ‘evidence’ to prove seniority over Viṣṇu; tension of rivalry under the shadow of the infinite pillar.
Characters & Entities
K
Ketakī flowerB
BrahmāV
ViṣṇuFAQs
The episode foreshadows the danger of adharma—seeking superiority through ‘proof’ that can become false witness.
No tīrtha is named; the verse is part of a liṅga-mahātmyā teaching narrative within Arbuda-khaṇḍa.
None.