Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 143

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । कैलासस्य महेशानि उत्तरे च व्यवस्थिता । निषधोपरि विस्तीर्णा पुरी नाम स्वयंप्रभा

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | kailāsasya maheśāni uttare ca vyavasthitā | niṣadhopari vistīrṇā purī nāma svayaṃprabhā

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹേശാനീ! കൈലാസത്തിന്റെ വടക്കായി നിഷധപർവതത്തിന്മേൽ വ്യാപിച്ച ‘സ്വയംപ്രഭാ’ എന്ന നഗരം നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു।

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: the Lord (Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

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

• कैलासस्य: of Kailāsa
• कैलासस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैलास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• महेशानि: O Maheśānī (Pārvatī)
• महेशानि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेशानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• उत्तरे: in the north
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; दिशावाचक विशेषण (locative)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• व्यवस्थिता: situated, established
• व्यवस्थिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + वि+अव (उपसर्ग) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; (पुरी इति विशेषण)

• निषध: (Mount) Niṣadha
• निषध: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निषध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case) एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद-प्राय)

• उपरि: upon, on
• उपरि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उपरि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (postposition)

• विस्तीर्णा: spread out, extensive
• विस्तीर्णा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्तॄ (धातु) + वि (उपसर्ग) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; (पुरी इति विशेषण)

• पुरी: city
• पुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Apposition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशार्थक (quotative/particle: ‘by name’)

• स्वयंप्रभा: Self-luminous (name)
• स्वयंप्रभा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय) + प्रभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (स्वयमेव प्रभा यस्याः/या)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Svayaṃprabhā-purī (narrative locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Maheśānī/Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva narrates a radiant city named Svayaṃprabhā situated north of Kailāsa, spread upon Niṣadha—an otherworldly Himalayan vista.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Īśvara)
• Maheśānī (Pārvatī)
• Kailāsa
• Niṣadha
• Svayaṃprabhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma ties vows and liberation to sacred geographies; divine narration sanctifies place as well as practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A celestial city named Svayaṃprabhā, north of Kailāsa on Niṣadha, is introduced as the narrative’s sacred setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; it inaugurates the setting for the Somavāravrata-related legend.