Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

रथंतरस्य कल्पस्य वृत्तान्तमधिकृत्य च । सावर्णिना नारदाय कृष्णमाहात्म्यसंयुतम् । प्रोक्तं ब्रह्मवराहस्य चरितं वर्ण्यतेऽत्र च

Transliteration

rathaṃtarasya kalpasya vṛttāntamadhikṛtya ca | sāvarṇinā nāradāya kṛṣṇamāhātmyasaṃyutam | proktaṃ brahmavarāhasya caritaṃ varṇyate'tra ca

Translation

രഥന്തരകല്പത്തിന്റെ വൃത്താന്തം ആധാരമാക്കി സാവർണി നാരദനോട് കൃഷ്ണമാഹാത്മ്യസഹിതം ഉപദേശിച്ചു; ഇവിടെ ബ്രഹ്മ-വരാഹന്റെ ചരിതവും വർണ്ണിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു।

Word by Word

• रथंतरस्य: of (the) Rathantara
• रथंतरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथंतर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (genitive singular)

• कल्पस्य: of the kalpa
• कल्पस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• वृत्तान्तम्: the account/narrative
• वृत्तान्तम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्तान्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative singular)

• अधिकृत्य: having taken up
• अधिकृत्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/विषय-निर्देश)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि+कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive), विषयीकृत्य (having taken as topic)

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

• सावर्णिना: by Sāvarṇi
• सावर्णिना: Karta (Agent in passive/statement of speaker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सावर्णि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• नारदाय: to Nārada
• नारदाय: Sampradana (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी, एकवचन (dative singular)

• कृष्णमाहात्म्यसंयुतम्: connected with the glory of Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णमाहात्म्यसंयुतम्: Karma (Object-Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुत (सम्+युज्, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (of प्रोक्तं/चरितं); समासः: कृष्णस्य माहात्म्येन संयुतम् (instrumental/genitive-tatpurusha sense)

• प्रोक्तम्: was spoken/declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicate-participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भाव (spoken/declared)

• ब्रह्मवराहस्य: of Brahma-Varāha
• ब्रह्मवराहस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + वराह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—ब्रह्म-वराहः (Brahmā as Boar / the Brahma-Boar)

• चरितम्: the deed/story
• चरितम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (nominative singular)

• वर्ण्यते: is described
• वर्ण्यते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वर्ण् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Context)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (here)

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

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sāvarṇi (as Manu/ṛṣi figure) instructs Nārada holding a vīṇā; behind them appear vignettes: Kṛṣṇa’s glory and Varāha lifting the earth, arranged like panels of a cosmic chronicle.

Characters & Entities

• Rathaṃtara
• Kalpa
• Sāvarṇi
• Nārada
• Kṛṣṇa
• Brahma-Varāha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives connect cosmic cycles (kalpas) with devotion, presenting Kṛṣṇa and Varāha as sources of dharma and protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, where sacred narration itself is treated as part of the site’s glory.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed; the verse frames the subject matter—kalpa history and divine māhātmya—being recounted.