Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि यादवस्थलमुत्तमम् । यादवा यत्र नष्टा वै षट्पंचाशच्च कोटयः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi yādavasthalamuttamam | yādavā yatra naṣṭā vai ṣaṭpaṃcāśacca koṭayaḥ

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹാദേവീ! തുടർന്ന് ‘യാദവസ്ഥലം’ എന്ന അത്യുത്തമ പുണ്യസ്ഥാനത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അവിടെ സത്യമായും അമ്പത്താറു കോടി യാദവർ നശിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—महान् + देवी (कर्मधारय)

• यादवस्थलम्: the place of the Yādavas
• यादवस्थलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यादव + स्थल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—यादवानां स्थलम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• उत्तमम्: excellent; best
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• यादवाः: the Yādavas
• यादवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यादव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• नष्टाः: perished; were destroyed
• नष्टाः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipata/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• षट्पञ्चाशत्: fifty-six
• षट्पञ्चाशत्: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् + पञ्चाशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; (अत्र) प्रथमा/द्वितीया-समाना रूपम्; बहुवचनार्थे गणना; समासः—षट् + पञ्चाशत् (द्विगु)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-बोधक (conjunction)

• कोटयः: crores (tens of millions)
• कोटयः: Karta (Subject complement/प्रथमा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yādavasthala

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solemn coastal grove at Prabhāsa marked as Yādavasthala; faint memorial markers and broken weapons; pilgrims walk quietly as Śiva narrates to Devī the vast number of fallen Yādavas.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī
• Yādavas
• Yādavasthala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even world-shaping dynasties are impermanent; pilgrimage to such sites turns history into dharma-reflection and vairāgya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Yādavasthala within Prabhāsakṣetra, a memorialized locale tied to the Yādavas’ end.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yātrā-injunction: “one should go” (gacchet) to Yādavasthala as part of tīrtha-caraṇa in Prabhāsa.