Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

सुष्वापाथ निशाशेषे ददृशे पितरं स्वकम् । स्वप्ने दशरथं देवि सौम्यरूपं महाप्रभम्

Transliteration

suṣvāpātha niśāśeṣe dadṛśe pitaraṃ svakam | svapne daśarathaṃ devi saumyarūpaṃ mahāprabham

Translation

പിന്നീട് രാത്രിയുടെ അവസാനം അവൻ നിദ്രിച്ചു; ഹേ ദേവി, സ്വപ്നത്തിൽ തന്റെ പിതാവായ ദശരഥനെ സൗമ്യരൂപനും മഹാപ്രഭയും ഉള്ളവനായി കണ്ടു।

Word by Word

• सुष्वाप: slept
• सुष्वाप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्वप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम् (particle: then/now)

• निशा-शेषे: at the end of the night
• निशा-शेषे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा + शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘निशायाः शेषः’ = remainder of the night)

• ददृशे: saw
• ददृशे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

• पितरम्: father
• पितरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• स्वकम्: his own
• स्वकम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• स्वप्ने: in a dream
• स्वप्ने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वप्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्

• दशरथम्: Daśaratha
• दशरथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशरथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्

• सौम्य-रूपम्: of gentle form
• सौम्य-रूपम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौम्य + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (‘सौम्यं रूपं यस्य’)

• महा-प्रभम्: greatly radiant
• महा-प्रभम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + प्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (‘महती प्रभा यस्य’)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pre-dawn stillness: Rāma asleep on a leaf-bed; a radiant, gentle Daśaratha appears in dream-vision, luminous and benevolent; Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa nearby in quiet repose; faint aura fills the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Daśaratha
• Svapna (dream)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage narratives often unfold through divine signs; dreams can serve as dharmic guidance, especially tied to ancestral duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The vision occurs in the setting of Prabhāsa-kṣetra, continuing its sanctified narrative atmosphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse foreshadows possible pitṛ-related duties that may follow from the dream.