Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

एवंविधो महादेवि कूर्मरूपी जनार्द्दनः । तस्य नैऋतपादे तु सौराष्ट्र इति विश्रुतः

Transliteration

evaṃvidho mahādevi kūrmarūpī janārddanaḥ | tasya naiṛtapāde tu saurāṣṭra iti viśrutaḥ

Translation

ഹേ മഹാദേവി, ഇങ്ങനെ കൂർമരൂപനായ ജനാർദ്ദനനെ വർണ്ണിക്കുന്നു; അവന്റെ നൈഋത്യ പാദത്തിൽ ‘സൗരാഷ്ട്ര’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ ദേശം സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു.

Word by Word

• एवंविधः: of such a kind
• एवंविधः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एवं + विध (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (एवं विधः = of such a kind)

• महादेवि: O great Goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कूर्म-रूपी: tortoise-formed
• कूर्म-रूपी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कूर्म + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (कूर्मरूपः = having the form of a tortoise)

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• नैऋत-पादे: in the south-western foot/quarter
• नैऋत-पादे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैऋत + पाद (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (नैऋतः पादः = the south-western quarter/foot)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (particle: but/indeed)

• सौराष्ट्रः: Saurāṣṭra
• सौराष्ट्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौराष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• इति: thus, called
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/नामनिर्देशार्थक (quotative particle: thus/called)

• विश्रुतः: is renowned
• विश्रुतः: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि√श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्तः (past passive participle: 'well-known')

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Saurāṣṭra (as naiṛta-pāda of Kūrma-rūpī Janārdana)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Janārdana as a colossal tortoise (Kūrma), with the Saurāṣṭra peninsula glowing upon the south-western foot-region; pilgrims and sages mark tīrthas like jewels on the limb.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Devī
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• Kūrma (tortoise form)
• Saurāṣṭra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage lands are portrayed as limbs of the divine—geography becomes theology, inspiring reverence for place as a form of worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage situates Prabhāsa within the wider sacred region of Saurāṣṭra, mapped onto the divine Kūrma-form.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse provides sacred-topographical identification.