Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

कामिकं तु समाज्ञाय क्षेत्रं प्राभासिकं तदा । तत्रातपद्देवि तपः स वै परमदुश्चरम्

Transliteration

kāmikaṃ tu samājñāya kṣetraṃ prābhāsikaṃ tadā | tatrātapaddevi tapaḥ sa vai paramaduścaram

Translation

അപ്പോൾ പ്രാഭാസക്ഷേത്രം സർവകാമഫലപ്രദമായ പുണ്യക്ഷേത്രമെന്ന് അറിഞ്ഞ്, ഹേ ദേവി, അവൻ അവിടെ അത്യന്തം ദുഷ്കരമായ തപസ്സ് അനുഷ്ഠിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• कामिकम्: desired/pleasing
• कामिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कामिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (क्षेत्रम्)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वय-निपात (particle: 'but/indeed')

• समाज्ञाय: having understood
• समाज्ञाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): 'having known/understood'

• क्षेत्रम्: the sacred place/field
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्राभासिकम्: belonging to Prabhāsa
• प्राभासिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राभासिक (प्रातिपदिक; प्रभास-सम्बन्धी)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (क्षेत्रम्)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (then)

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

• अतपत्: performed austerity
• अतपत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन

• तपः: austerity
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

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

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• परमदुश्चरम्: most difficult to perform
• परमदुश्चरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम-दुश्चर (प्रातिपदिक; परम + दुश्चर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तपः)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Varuṇa, recognizing Prabhāsa as the supreme wish-fulfilling sacred field, performs extremely difficult austerities there.

Characters & Entities

• Varuṇa
• Prābhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A kṣetra’s sanctity is shown through the tapas undertaken there; place and practice together generate spiritual fruition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prābhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetra) as a kāmika (wish-fulfilling) sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) performed in the sacred field of Prabhāsa.