Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पुत्रकामो नरश्रेष्ठः पूजयामास शंकरम् । ततस्तुष्टः स भगवान्वरं दातुं समुत्सुकः

Transliteration

putrakāmo naraśreṣṭhaḥ pūjayāmāsa śaṃkaram | tatastuṣṭaḥ sa bhagavānvaraṃ dātuṃ samutsukaḥ

Translation

പുത്രലാഭം ആഗ്രഹിച്ച് ആ നരശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ ശങ്കരനെ പൂജിച്ചു. തുടർന്ന് ഭഗവാൻ പ്രസന്നനായി വരം നൽകാൻ ഉത്സുകനായി.

Word by Word

• पुत्रकामः: desiring a son
• पुत्रकामः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्र-काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—पुत्रं कामयते यस्य/पुत्रस्य कामः; ‘नरश्रेष्ठः’ विशेषण

• नरश्रेष्ठः: the best of men
• नरश्रेष्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—नरेषु श्रेष्ठः

• पूजयामास: worshipped
• पूजयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Periphrastic perfect/परिप्रयोगलिट्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara
• शंकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तर/thereupon)

• तुष्टः: pleased
• तुष्टः: Visheshana (State/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सः भगवान्’ विशेषण

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भगवान्: the Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वरम्: a boon
• वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दातुम्: to give
• दातुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (तुमुन् infinitive), अव्ययभाव; प्रयोजनार्थ

• समुत्सुकः: eager
• समुत्सुकः: Visheshana (Disposition/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + उत्सुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘भगवान्’ विशेषण

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bharata, hands folded, offers worship to Śaṅkara; the deity’s presence is felt as a luminous, compassionate readiness to grant a boon.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere worship (pūjā) offered with faith moves the Lord to grace; divine boons arise from devotion aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context remains Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where Śaṅkara is worshipped and readily bestows grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śaṅkara-pūjā (worship of Śiva) undertaken with a specific intention (putra-kāma).