Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

यो यस्मिन्देवता तत्त्वे सा तन्माहात्म्यसूचिका । औदकं च महातत्त्वं विष्णोश्चातिप्रियं प्रिये

Transliteration

yo yasmindevatā tattve sā tanmāhātmyasūcikā | audakaṃ ca mahātattvaṃ viṣṇoścātipriyaṃ priye

Translation

ഏത് തത്ത്വത്തിൽ ഏത് ദേവത വസിക്കുന്നതായി പറയപ്പെടുന്നുവോ, ആ സ്ഥാനനിർണ്ണയം തന്നെയാണ് ആ തത്ത്വത്തിന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യം സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്. ഹേ പ്രിയേ! ‘ഔദക’ മഹാതത്ത്വം വിഷ്ണുവിന് അത്യന്തം പ്രിയമാണ്.

Word by Word

• यः: who/which
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• यस्मिन्: in which
• यस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• देवता: the deity
• देवता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• तत्त्वे: in the principle/reality
• तत्त्वे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• सा: she/that
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद-रूपम्)

• माहात्म्यसूचिका: indicative of the greatness
• माहात्म्यसूचिका: Kriya (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक) + सूचिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (माहात्म्यस्य सूचिका)

• औदकम्: watery/pertaining to water
• औदकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: औदक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• महातत्त्वम्: the great principle
• महातत्त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महत् तत्त्वम्)

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अतिप्रियम्: very dear
• अतिप्रियम्: Kriya (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय) + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः (अति प्रियम् = अत्यन्तं प्रियम्)

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; addressing 'priye')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Audaka Mahā-tattva (water-principle) as a tattva-tīrtha focus

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as ‘priye’ (beloved), consistent with an intimate teacher-to-listener frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher points to a cosmological chart where tattvas are arranged as elements; deities sit upon their respective principles. The watery mahā-tattva is shown as a luminous ocean-lotus with Viṣṇu seated, indicating special affection; the listener receives the doctrinal key.

Characters & Entities

• Devatā
• Tattva
• Viṣṇu
• Audaka (water principle)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Deity–tattva associations are not arbitrary; they reveal the spiritual excellence of each principle, with water especially cherished by Viṣṇu.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The focus is conceptual: the audaka (water) tattva underlying water-based tīrthas within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it provides interpretive guidance for understanding water-tīrtha sanctity.