Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

यस्तत्र वसते देवि संयतात्मा समाहितः । त्रिकालमपि भुंजानो वायुभक्षसमो भवेत्

Transliteration

yastatra vasate devi saṃyatātmā samāhitaḥ | trikālamapi bhuṃjāno vāyubhakṣasamo bhavet

Translation

ഹേ ദേവി, അവിടെ സംയതാത്മാവായി സമാഹിതചിത്തനായി വസിക്കുന്നവൻ, ത്രികാലവും ഭോജനം ചെയ്താലും വായുവാൽ മാത്രം പോഷിതനായവനെപ്പോലെ—അത്യന്തം ശുദ്ധനായി—ഭവിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• वसते: dwells/lives
• वसते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• संयतात्मा: self-controlled
• संयतात्मा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संयत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; सम् + यम्) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (संयतः आत्मा यस्य)

• समाहितः: composed/collected (in mind)
• समाहितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + धा (धातु) → समाहित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• त्रिकालम्: the three times (of day)
• त्रिकालम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal extent/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रयः कालाः)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षा-अव्यय (particle: also/even)

• भुञ्जानः: eating/partaking
• भुञ्जानः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वायुभक्षसमः: equal to one who feeds on air
• वायुभक्षसमः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वायुः भक्षः यस्य) + उपमान-विशेषण ‘सम’

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A restrained sādhaka residing near the Prabhāsa shore/temple precinct, seated in meditation at dawn; simple meal taken with detachment; the sea-breeze symbolizing ‘vāyu-bhakṣa’ purity; distant silhouette of Somnātha shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Devī
• Saṃyama (self-restraint)
• Samādhi-like absorption

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Life in a great tīrtha, when joined with discipline and collected mind, refines the body and mind toward ascetic purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is praised as a place where disciplined residence produces extraordinary purification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied discipline is self-restraint (saṃyama) and mental steadiness (samādhāna) while dwelling in Prabhāsa; no specific mantra/dāna/snānā rule is stated.