Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

तमिन्द्रः प्लावयामास वृष्ट्यौघैर्वरवर्णिनि । न शशाक यदा नेतुं तदा स यतवाक्स्थितः

Transliteration

tamindraḥ plāvayāmāsa vṛṣṭyaughairvaravarṇini | na śaśāka yadā netuṃ tadā sa yatavāksthitaḥ

Translation

ഹേ വരവർണിനീ! ഇന്ദ്രൻ മഴയുടെ മഹാപ്രവാഹങ്ങളാൽ അവനെ മുങ്ങിക്കളയാൻ ശ്രമിച്ചു. എന്നാൽ അവനെ കീഴടക്കാൻ കഴിയാതിരുന്നപ്പോൾ, ഇന്ദ്രൻ വാക്ക് സംയമിച്ച് നിശ്ചലമായി നിന്നു.

Word by Word

• तम्: him/that (fire/being)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — masculine, accusative singular

• इन्द्रः: Indra
• इन्द्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — masculine, nominative singular

• प्लावयामास: flooded/drenched
• प्लावयामास: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्लु (धातु) caus. प्लावय्
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — causative perfect: caused to be flooded/drenched

• वृष्टि-ओघैः: with torrents of rain
• वृष्टि-ओघैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + ओघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन — masculine, instrumental plural

• वर-वर्णिनि: O excellent-complexioned lady
• वर-वर्णिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्णिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन — feminine, vocative singular

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• शशाक: was able
• शशाक: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शक् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — he was able

• यदा: when
• यदा: Sambandha (Clause linker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal conjunction: when)

• नेतुम्: to carry away/remove
• नेतुम्: Karma (Object of ability/क्रियार्थक)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive) — to lead/bring away

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — masculine, nominative singular

• यत-वाक्: with restrained speech
• यत-वाक्: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यत (प्रातिपदिक) + वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — masculine, nominative singular; ‘यता वाक् यस्य’ (controlled speech)

• स्थितः: stood/remained
• स्थितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — having stood/remained

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra unleashes dense rainclouds and torrential sheets of water upon a blazing ascetic-fire; the rain hisses into steam, yet the fire persists; Indra pauses, lips sealed, posture constrained in reluctant helplessness.

Characters & Entities

• Indra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worldly power cannot always restrain divine tapas; humility and restraint arise when force fails.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), as narrated in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse focuses on divine action and restraint rather than a rite.