Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

तदैव यात्रा कर्त्तव्या भावस्तत्रैव कारणम् । कृत्वा तु नियमं कंचित्स्वगृहे वरवर्णिनि

Transliteration

tadaiva yātrā karttavyā bhāvastatraiva kāraṇam | kṛtvā tu niyamaṃ kaṃcitsvagṛhe varavarṇini

Translation

അപ്പോഴുതന്നെ യാത്ര നടത്തണം; കാരണം ഇവിടെ മുഖ്യകാരണം ഭക്തിഭാവം തന്നെയാണ്. ഹേ വരവർണിനി! സ്വന്തം വീട്ടിൽ ഏതെങ്കിലും ഒരു നിയമം സ്വീകരിച്ച്—

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• यात्रा: pilgrimage/journey
• यात्रा: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कर्तव्या: to be done/should be performed
• कर्तव्या: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/obligatory), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• भावः: intention/mental attitude
• भावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• कारणम्: cause/reason
• कारणम्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु) + त्वा (कृत्प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाले (prior action)

• तु: but/and then
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (adversative/contrastive particle)

• नियमम्: rule/vow/discipline
• नियमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नियम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कंचित्: some/any
• कंचित्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (निपात)
• Form: अनिश्चित-प्रत्यययुक्त सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun/adjective), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier of नियमम्)

• स्वगृहे: in one’s own house
• स्वगृहे: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य गृहं), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• वरवर्णिनि: O fair-complexioned lady
• वरवर्णिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्णिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (वरः वर्णः यस्याः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa/Somanātha yātrā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva declares that the journey should be undertaken immediately when readiness arises, because bhāva is the true cause; he advises adopting a niyama at home—depictable as a devotee taking a vow before departing.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Bhāva
• Niyama
• Yātrā
• Somanātha (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of pilgrimage is rooted in bhāva—inner devotion—supported by deliberate self-discipline begun even before departure.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Somanātha in Prabhāsakṣetra remains the referenced goal of the yātrā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Begin by taking a niyama (a chosen discipline/observance) at home, and then proceed for the yātrā when devotion and readiness arise.