Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

भविष्यं यद्भवं देव वर्तमानं विचिंत्यताम् । अयं च वामनो भूत्वा विष्णुर्यास्यति तां पुरीम्

Transliteration

bhaviṣyaṃ yadbhavaṃ deva vartamānaṃ viciṃtyatām | ayaṃ ca vāmano bhūtvā viṣṇuryāsyati tāṃ purīm

Translation

ഹേ ദേവാ! വരാനിരിക്കുന്നതും ഇപ്പോഴുള്ള വർത്തമാനവും നന്നായി ചിന്തിക്കണമേ. കാരണം ഈ വിഷ്ണു വാമനരൂപം ധരിച്ചു ആ പുരിയിലേക്കു പോകും।

Word by Word

• भविष्यम्: the future
• भविष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भविष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• भवम्: what is to occur/event
• भवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• वर्तमानम्: the present (state)
• वर्तमानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्तमान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विचिन्त्यताम्: let (it) be considered
• विचिन्त्यताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; आज्ञार्थे (let it be considered)

• अयम्: this (one)
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• वामनः: Vāmana (the dwarf)
• वामनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वामन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund), अव्यय

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यास्यति: will go
• यास्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ताम्: that
• ताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम, विशेषण

• पुरीम्: city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sārasvata

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A counselor-figure urges a god to contemplate future and present; in a visionary overlay, Viṣṇu appears as the dwarf Vāmana, poised to enter a city—small in stature yet cosmic in radiance, holding kamaṇḍalu and umbrella.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Vāmana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine action unfolds according to dharma across time—present turmoil and future resolution are to be understood as part of a higher order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is directly glorified; the verse points to a “city” involved in the Vāmana narrative, within the broader Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative announcement about Viṣṇu’s forthcoming avatāra-act.