Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

यदा रसातलं प्राप्ता पृथिवी नैव दृश्यते । ब्रह्मांडार्थे स्थानकृते तत्र सा नैव दृश्यते

Transliteration

yadā rasātalaṃ prāptā pṛthivī naiva dṛśyate | brahmāṃḍārthe sthānakṛte tatra sā naiva dṛśyate

Translation

പൃഥ്വി രസാതലത്തിൽ എത്തിച്ചേരുമ്പോൾ അവൾ ഒട്ടും ദൃശ്യമല്ലായിരുന്നു; ബ്രഹ്മാണ്ഡകാര്യാർത്ഥം ഒരുക്കിയ സ്ഥാനത്തിലും അവൾ അവിടെ കാണപ്പെട്ടില്ല.

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (when)

• रसातलम्: Rasātala (netherworld)
• रसातलम्: Gati-karma (Goal/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रसातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्राप्ता: having reached
• प्राप्ता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि (agreeing with पृथिवी)

• पृथिवी: the earth
• पृथिवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• दृश्यते: is seen
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive: is seen)

• ब्रह्माण्डार्थे: for the sake of the universe
• ब्रह्माण्डार्थे: Hetu/Artha (Purpose/हेतु-अर्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्माण्ड (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्माण्डस्य अर्थे)

• स्थानकृते: for (making) a place
• स्थानकृते: Hetu/Artha (Purpose/हेतु-अर्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्थानस्य कृते = for a place)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Desha (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• सा: she (the earth)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• दृश्यते: is seen
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि (passive)

Speaker

Narrator (describing the crisis preceding the Varāha avatāra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (narrative setting)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dark nether realm where Earth is absent from sight; Brahmā’s cosmic concern implied—searching for the missing Pṛthivī within the vast ‘brahmāṇḍa’ arrangement.

Characters & Entities

• Pṛthvī (Earth)
• Rasātala
• Brahmāṇḍa (cosmic egg)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When the very ground of life disappears, divine intervention becomes necessary—dharma is upheld by restoring the world’s rightful place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The account occurs within Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya (Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa), using cosmic history to intensify reverence for the kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed in this verse.