Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

ऋषिरुवाच । प्रसादाद्देवदेवस्य नृत्येन महता विभो । यथा न स्यात्तपोहानिस्तथा नीतिर्विधीयताम्

Transliteration

ṛṣiruvāca | prasādāddevadevasya nṛtyena mahatā vibho | yathā na syāttapohānistathā nītirvidhīyatām

Translation

ഋഷി പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ വിഭോ! ദേവദേവന്റെ പ്രസാദത്താൽ ഞാൻ മഹത്തായ നൃത്തം ചെയ്തു. എന്റെ തപസ്സിന് ഹാനി വരാതിരിക്കുവാൻ യുക്തമായ മാർഗം വിധിക്കണമേ.

Word by Word

• ऋषिः: the sage
• ऋषिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• प्रसादात्: from (your) grace
• प्रसादात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• देवदेवस्य: of the god of gods
• देवदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), पुंलिङ्ग, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानां देवः)

• नृत्येन: by the dance
• नृत्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• महता: great
• महता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘नृत्येन’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• विभो: O mighty one
• विभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), पुंलिङ्ग, एकवचन

• यथा: so that / in such a way that
• यथा: Sambandha (Clause linker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/उपमानार्थ-सम्बन्धक)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• स्यात्: may be / should occur
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• तपःहानिः: loss of austerity
• तपःहानिः: Karta (Subject of ‘स्यात्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक) + हानि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तपसः हानिः)

• तथा: thus / accordingly
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तदर्थ-सम्बन्धक/तुल्यतार्थ)

• नीतिः: a course/arrangement (policy)
• नीतिः: Karma (Object—what is to be arranged)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• विधीयताम्: let it be arranged/ordained
• विधीयताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (धातु) उपसर्ग-वि + यक् (कर्मणि)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

Speaker

Ṛṣi (sage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage respectfully requests a boon not for power but for a dharmic arrangement ensuring his great dance (devotional ecstasy) does not diminish his tapas; the Lord listens as a compassionate guardian of vows.

Characters & Entities

• Devadeva (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even joyful spiritual experiences should be integrated with dharma so that one’s tapas and discipline are not diminished.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where the interplay of grace and ascetic discipline is taught.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A request for ‘nīti’ (a prescribed method) to prevent tapo-hāni is made, but the specific method appears in the following verse.