Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । एवं माहात्म्यसंयुक्तो यदि ब्रह्मा जगद्गुरुः । प्राभासिके महातीर्थे कस्मिन्स्थाने तु संस्थितः

Transliteration

devyuvāca | evaṃ māhātmyasaṃyukto yadi brahmā jagadguruḥ | prābhāsike mahātīrthe kasminsthāne tu saṃsthitaḥ

Translation

ദേവി പറഞ്ഞു—ജഗദ്ഗുരുവായ ബ്രഹ്മാവ് ഇത്തരമഹിമയാൽ യുക്തനാണെങ്കിൽ, പ്രഭാസ മഹാതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ അദ്ദേഹം ഏതു സ്ഥലത്ത് പ്രതിഷ്ഠിതനായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു?

Word by Word

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; √वच् = to say

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय = 'thus'

• माहात्म्य-संयुक्तः: endowed with (such) greatness
• माहात्म्य-संयुक्तः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुक्त (कृदन्त; √युज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः = तत्पुरुष (माहात्म्येन संयुक्तः = 'endowed with greatness')

• यदि: if
• यदि: Hetu (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय = 'if'

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जगत्-गुरुः: the teacher of the world
• जगत्-गुरुः: Karta (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक) + गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः = तत्पुरुष (जगतः गुरुः = 'teacher of the world')

• प्राभासिके: in Prabhāsa (region)
• प्राभासिके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राभासिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; locative adjective = 'in Prābhāsika (Prabhāsa-related)'

• महा-तीर्थे: in the great sacred ford
• महा-तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः = कर्मधारय ('great pilgrimage-place')

• कस्मिन्: in which
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Interrogative location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; interrogative 'in which'

• स्थाने: place
• स्थाने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed / then
• तु: Discourse particle (सम्बोधन/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/विशेषार्थक) = particle 'but/indeed'

• संस्थितः: is situated
• संस्थितः: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु) → संस्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'situated/standing' (of Brahmā)

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Mahātīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, seated in reverent inquiry, asks Īśvara about Brahmā’s seat within the vast Prabhāsa tīrtha; the background suggests a coastal sacred landscape with shrines and pilgrims.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Brahmā
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True māhātmya is tied to sacred geography: devotion seeks a concrete tīrtha-location for worship and pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Mahātīrtha (Prabhāsa Kṣetra), the broader sacred landscape around Somanātha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is stated; the verse initiates inquiry into the proper place for darśana and worship.