Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

त्वष्टारं चैव काश्मीरे चरित्रे रत्नसंभवम् । पुष्करे हेमगर्भस्थं विद्यात्सूर्यं गभस्तिके

Transliteration

tvaṣṭāraṃ caiva kāśmīre caritre ratnasaṃbhavam | puṣkare hemagarbhasthaṃ vidyātsūryaṃ gabhastike

Translation

കാശ്മീരിൽ അദ്ദേഹം “ത്വഷ്ടാ”; ചരിത്രത്തിൽ “രത്നസംഭവൻ”; പുഷ്കരത്തിൽ “ഹേമഗർഭസ്ഥൻ”; ഗഭസ്തികയിൽ “സൂര്യൻ” എന്നറിയണം।

Word by Word

• त्वष्टारम्: Tvaṣṭṛ (the divine artisan)
• त्वष्टारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वष्टृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphasis)

• काश्मीरे: in Kashmir
• काश्मीरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काश्मीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• चरित्रे: in Caritra (place-name)
• चरित्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• रत्नसंभवम्: Ratnasaṃbhava (name; ‘origin of jewels’)
• रत्नसंभवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न-संभव (प्रातिपदिक; रत्न + संभव)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/उपपद: ‘रत्नानां संभवः’)

• पुष्करे: in Puṣkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• हेमगर्भस्थम्: dwelling in the golden womb (name/epithet)
• हेमगर्भस्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हेम-गर्भ-स्थ (प्रातिपदिक; हेम + गर्भ + स्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (हेमगर्भे स्थितः)

• विद्यात्: one should know
• विद्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; √विद् (to know)

• सूर्यम्: the Sun (as)
• सूर्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• गभस्तिके: in Gabhastika (place-name)
• गभस्तिके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गभस्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśmīra (Tvaṣṭṛ); Caritra (Ratnasaṃbhava); Puṣkara (Hemagarbhastha); Gabhastikā (Sūrya)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four sacred scenes: Kashmir valley with Sūrya as Tvaṣṭṛ crafting a luminous wheel; Caritra with Sūrya emerging amid jewels as Ratnasaṃbhava; Pushkar lake with pilgrims bathing and Sūrya as Hemagarbhastha within a golden orb; Gabhastikā with rays (gabhasti) streaming like threads of light over a shrine, labeled simply ‘Sūrya’.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśmīra
• Tvaṣṭṛ
• Caritra
• Ratnasaṃbhava
• Puṣkara
• Hemagarbhastha
• Gabhastikā
• Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Knowing the deity’s sacred names tied to tīrthas is part of pilgrimage-dharma and preserves the map of sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśmīra, Caritra, Puṣkara, and Gabhastikā are cited as places of Sūrya’s special appellations.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Only the instruction ‘vidyāt’ (one should know) is implied; no explicit vrata or offering is described.