Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

स्थानेष्वन्येषु विप्राणां वृद्धरूपी पितामहः । युक्तं तदुन्नतस्थानं सदा च ब्रह्मणः प्रियम्

Transliteration

sthāneṣvanyeṣu viprāṇāṃ vṛddharūpī pitāmahaḥ | yuktaṃ tadunnatasthānaṃ sadā ca brahmaṇaḥ priyam

Translation

ഹേ വിപ്രന്മാരേ, മറ്റു സ്ഥലങ്ങളിൽ പിതാമഹ ബ്രഹ്മാവ് വൃദ്ധരൂപത്തിലാണ്. അതിനാൽ ആ സ്ഥലം ‘ഉന്നതസ്ഥാനം’ എന്നു വിളിക്കുന്നത് യുക്തം; അത് എപ്പോഴും ബ്രഹ്മാവിന് പ്രിയമാണ്।

Word by Word

• sthāneṣu: in places
• sthāneṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), बहुवचन

• anyeṣu: other
• anyeṣu: Adhikarana (Location qualifier/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन; ‘sthāneṣu’ इति विशेष्येण सह

• viprāṇām: of the brāhmaṇas
• viprāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन (genitive)

• vṛddharūpī: in the form of an old man
• vṛddharūpī: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛddha-rūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वृद्धस्य रूपं यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘pitāmahaḥ’ इति विशेष्येण सह

• pitāmahaḥ: Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• pitāmahaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• yuktam: is proper / fitting
• yuktam: Kriya (Predicative complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √yuj युज्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• tad: that
• tad: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘unnatasthānam’ इति विशेष्येण सह

• unnatasthānam: the elevated place
• unnatasthānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: unnata-sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (उन्नतं स्थानम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (always)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (and)

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā
• brahmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन (genitive)

• priyam: dear / beloved
• priyam: Kriya (Predicative complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘unnatasthānam’ इति विशेष्येण सह (predicate/attributive)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnata-sthāna

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: viprāḥ (brāhmaṇas) (as addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A comparative tableau: at generic sites Brahmā appears aged with white beard; at Unnata-sthāna he appears youthful/childlike, with a radiant aura over the elevated shrine; brāhmaṇas gesture to the ‘fitting’ name of the place.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Vipra (brāhmaṇas)
• Unnata-sthāna
• Vṛddharūpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s uniqueness is shown through the deity’s distinctive form there; Unnata-sthāna is singled out as especially beloved to Brahmā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Unnata-sthāna in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it clarifies the theological identity of the place and how Brahmā is specially regarded there.