Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

सरस्वत्युवाच । पिता मे ध्रियते यस्मात्तेन नाहं स्वयंवरा । तव भार्या भविष्यामि मार्गं यच्छ ममाधुना

Transliteration

sarasvatyuvāca | pitā me dhriyate yasmāttena nāhaṃ svayaṃvarā | tava bhāryā bhaviṣyāmi mārgaṃ yaccha mamādhunā

Translation

സരസ്വതി പറഞ്ഞു— എന്റെ പിതാവിന്റെ ആജ്ഞ നിലനിൽക്കുന്നതിനാൽ ഞാൻ സ്വയംവരയല്ല. ഞാൻ നിന്റെ ഭാര്യയാകും; ഇപ്പോൾ എനിക്ക് മാർഗം തരിക.

Word by Word

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वक्तृ-निर्देश

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पिता: father
• पिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम/pronoun; षष्ठी, एकवचन

• ध्रियते: is maintained / is supported
• ध्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): ‘is supported/maintained’

• यस्मात्: because (of which)
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पञ्चमी, एकवचन, पुं/नपुंसक; हेतुवाचक: ‘because of whom/which’

• तेन: therefore / by that
• तेन: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया, एकवचन, पुं/नपुंसक; ‘therefore/by that’

• न: not
• न: Kriya-nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• स्वयंवरा: free to choose (a husband)
• स्वयंवरा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय) + वर (प्रातिपदिक) → स्वयंवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव: ‘स्वयम्-वर’ = ‘self-choosing’; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अहम् विशेषयति

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी, एकवचन

• भार्या: wife
• भार्या: Vidhaya (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भार्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-नाम

• भविष्यामि: I shall be
• भविष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मार्गम्: path
• मार्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यच्छ: grant / give
• यच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘grant/give’

• मम: to me / my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी, एकवचन

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधुना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/adverb): ‘now’

Speaker

Sarasvatī (Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sarasvatī speaks with composed clarity, invoking her father’s authority and requesting a ‘path’—a route or proper means—before accepting the marriage; her demeanor is restrained and dharmic.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī (Devī)
• Her father (unnamed in this snippet)
• Personified Mountain (implied addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse frames personal decisions within dharma—respect for guardianship and social order, while seeking rightful passage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra is the narrative arena, where the ‘path’ (mārga) becomes a sacred concern.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the request is practical—permission for passage—rather than a stated rite.