Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ततो देव्या तदा दृष्ट्वा रक्षितं नागपार्श्वतः । ततः सुपर्णेलेत्येवं ख्याता सा वसुधातले

Transliteration

tato devyā tadā dṛṣṭvā rakṣitaṃ nāgapārśvataḥ | tataḥ suparṇeletyevaṃ khyātā sā vasudhātale

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ദേവി അത് നാഗങ്ങളുടെ സമീപത്ത് കാവലോടെ സൂക്ഷിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നതായി കണ്ടു; അതിനാൽ ഭൂമിയിൽ അവൾ ‘സുപർണേലാ’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധയായി।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then; thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे: 'ततः/then, thereafter'

• devyā: by the goddess
• devyā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; 'देवी' = by the goddess

• tadā: at that time
• tadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) = temporal adverb; 'तदा/at that time'

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); 'दृश्' धातोः; अर्थः: having seen

• rakṣitam: protected
• rakṣitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: rakṣ (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'protected/guarded'

• nāga-pārśvataḥ: from the serpent’s side
• nāga-pārśvataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक) + pārśva (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'नागस्य पार्श्वम्'); तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय = ablatival adverb; अर्थः: 'from the side of the serpent'

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; 'thereafter'

• suparṇelā: Suparṇelā (name)
• suparṇelā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suparṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ilā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/षष्ठीभाव: 'सुपर्णसम्बद्धा इला'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नाम (proper noun)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उद्धरण/निदर्शन) = quotative particle; 'thus'

• evam: in this way
• evam: Adhikarana (Manner/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रकारवाचक) = manner adverb; 'in this way'

• khyātā: was known/called
• khyātā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: khyā (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'was known/called'

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'she/that (f.)'

• vasudhā-tale: on the earth’s surface
• vasudhā-tale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasudhā (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'वसुधायाः तलम्'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; 'on the surface of the earth'

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Suparṇelā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Goddess beholds a guarded sacred deposit near the Nāgas; a subtle divine gesture confers the name ‘Suparṇelā’ upon the place; the landscape becomes a labeled pilgrimage station.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Suparṇelā
• Nāgas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Names of sacred places preserve theological memory—protective power and divine recognition become geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Suparṇelā (Bhairavī), whose name and fame are explained through the legend.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse explains the site’s renown and naming.