Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

दर्शनार्थं प्रभासस्य उत्तरापथगामिनः । तं दृष्ट्वाऽच्छादितं देवं वज्रेण तु महेश्वरि

Transliteration

darśanārthaṃ prabhāsasya uttarāpathagāminaḥ | taṃ dṛṣṭvā'cchāditaṃ devaṃ vajreṇa tu maheśvari

Translation

പ്രഭാസദർശനാർത്ഥം ഉത്തരാപഥത്തിലൂടെ വന്നവർ—ഹേ മഹേശ്വരീ!—ആ ദേവനെ വജ്രംകൊണ്ട് മൂടപ്പെട്ടവനായി കണ്ടു।

Word by Word

• दर्शनार्थम्: for the sake of seeing
• दर्शनार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समासः—चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दर्शनस्य/दर्शनाय अर्थः) ; प्रयोजनार्थे (accusative of purpose)

• प्रभासस्य: of Prabhāsa
• प्रभासस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• उत्तरापथगामिनः: those going by the northern route
• उत्तरापथगामिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तरापथ + गामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (उत्तरापथं गच्छन्ति इति); विशेषण (to ऋषयः understood)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having done)

• आच्छादितम्: covered, concealed
• आच्छादितम्: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + छद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (to देवं)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• वज्रेण: by/with a thunderbolt
• वज्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण (instrument)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• महेश्वरि: O great lady (Maheśvarī)
• महेश्वरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महा + ईश्वरी)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Maheśvarī / Mahādevī (vocative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of northern-route pilgrims/sages arrive at Prabhāsa for darśana and behold the deity/shrine strangely ‘covered by vajra’—a hard, radiant, thunderbolt-like sheath obscuring the liṅga.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Ṛṣis
• Vajra (thunderbolt)
• Maheśvarī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage may include trials; steadfast desire for darśana is portrayed as a purifier and a mark of devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, approached by pilgrims even from distant northern regions (Uttarāpatha).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the pilgrims’ purpose (darśana) and the obstruction encountered.