Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 102

Devanagari script

नरवाप्यां महावीरः कान्तारे दुर्गनाशनः । पद्मवत्यां पद्मगृहो गगने मृगलाञ्छनः

Transliteration

naravāpyāṃ mahāvīraḥ kāntāre durganāśanaḥ | padmavatyāṃ padmagṛho gagane mṛgalāñchanaḥ

Translation

നരവാപിയിൽ ഞാൻ മഹാവീരൻ; കാന്താരത്തിൽ ദുർഗനാശനൻ—കഷ്ടനാശകൻ. പദ്മവതിയിൽ പദ്മഗൃഹൻ; ഗഗനത്തിൽ മൃഗലാഞ്ഛനൻ എന്നായി വാഴുന്നു.

Word by Word

• नरवाप्याम्: in Naravāpī
• नरवाप्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरवापी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘नराणां वापी’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (place-name)

• महावीरः: the great hero
• महावीरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महावीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘महा+वीर’ कर्मधारय-समास

• कान्तारे: in the wilderness/forest
• कान्तारे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कान्तार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• दुर्गनाशनः: destroyer of forts/difficulties
• दुर्गनाशनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्गनाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘दुर्गस्य नाशनः’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• पद्मवत्याम्: in Padmavatī
• पद्मवत्याम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्मवती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• पद्मगृहः: Padmagṛha (name; ‘lotus-house’)
• पद्मगृहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्मगृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘पद्मस्य गृहः’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• गगने: in the sky
• गगने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गगन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• मृगलाञ्छनः: Mṛgalāñchana (marked with a deer)
• मृगलाञ्छनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृगलाञ्छन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘मृगः लाञ्छनं यस्य’ बहुव्रीहि-प्रायः, परन्तु रूढ्या नामवत्; अत्र तत्पुरुषवत् ग्रहणम् (mṛga+lāñchana)

Speaker

The presiding deity of Prabhāsa-kṣetra (continuing the nāma-list addressed to Kṛṣṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Naravāpī / Kāntāra / Padmavatī / Gagana (nāma-sthānas)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four scenes: a sacred stepwell at Naravāpī where the Lord as Mahāvīra stands blessing pilgrims; a dense forest path in Kāntāra where Durganāśana dispels fear and obstacles; a lotus-lake city at Padmavatī with the Lord enthroned in a lotus-house; and a night-sky vista at Gagana where Mṛgalāñchana appears with lunar/antelope-mark symbolism and starry aura.

Characters & Entities

• Naravāpī
• Mahāvīra
• Kāntāra
• Durganāśana
• Padmavatī
• Padmagṛha
• Gagana
• Mṛgalāñchana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is not only travel; it is recognition of the deity’s many compassionate forms that remove fear, hardship, and inner obstacles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Naravāpī, Kāntāra, Padmavatī, and Gagana—named tīrtha-locations within the Prabhāsa sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, stuti/japa of these names; no separate dāna, snāna, or vrata is specified in this verse.