Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

ततोऽष्टादशधा कृत्वा वेदव्यासो युगेयुगे । प्रख्यापयति लोकेऽस्मिन्साक्षान्नारायणांशजः

Transliteration

tato'ṣṭādaśadhā kṛtvā vedavyāso yugeyuge | prakhyāpayati loke'sminsākṣānnārāyaṇāṃśajaḥ

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം അതിനെ അഷ്ടാദശ ഭാഗങ്ങളാക്കി വിഭജിച്ച്, വേദവ്യാസൻ യുഗം യുഗമായി ഈ ലോകത്തിൽ അതിനെ പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിക്കുന്നു—അവൻ സാക്ഷാൽ നാരായണന്റെ അംശാവതാരമാണ്।

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Source/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (तद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb); ततः = ‘thereafter/from that’

• अष्टादशधा: into eighteen (parts), eighteenfold
• अष्टादशधा: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aṣṭādaśa + dhā (अव्यय-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय; समासः—अव्ययीभाव (aṣṭādaśa-dhā = ‘in eighteen ways/parts’)

• कृत्वा: having made/divided
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Prior action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); ‘having done/made’

• वेदव्यासः: Vedavyāsa
• वेदव्यासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda + vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वेदानां व्यासः = ‘compiler of the Vedas’)

• युगे: in an age
• युगे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• युगे: in (each) age
• युगे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (distributive)

• प्रख्यापयति: proclaims, makes known
• प्रख्यापयति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + khyā + ṇic (ख्यापयति; causative)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (अयम्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• साक्षात्: directly, manifestly
• साक्षात्: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb); प्रत्यक्षार्थक

• नारायणांशजः: born from a portion of Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणांशजः: Karta (Apposition to subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nārāyaṇa + aṃśa + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (नारायणस्य अंशः तस्मात् जातः = ‘born of Nārāyaṇa’s portion’)

Speaker

Sūta (implied continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vedavyāsa seated with matted hair and manuscript, dividing a single immense scroll into eighteen bundles; behind him a subtle vision of Nārāyaṇa indicating ‘aṃśa’ origin; sages and disciples receive the parts.

Characters & Entities

• Vedavyāsa
• Nārāyaṇa
• Yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine compassion adapts revelation to time—Vyāsa renews and disseminates dharma in each age for the world’s welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None explicitly; the verse explains Purāṇic transmission rather than a location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it emphasizes proclamation and preservation of Purāṇic teaching across yugas.