Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

देवताना मृषीणां च संति स्थानान्यनेकशः । परं देव त्वया पुण्यं प्रभासं कथितं मम

Transliteration

devatānā mṛṣīṇāṃ ca saṃti sthānānyanekaśaḥ | paraṃ deva tvayā puṇyaṃ prabhāsaṃ kathitaṃ mama

Translation

ദേവന്മാരുടെയും ഋഷിമാരുടെയും അനേകം സ്ഥാനങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ട്; എങ്കിലും, ഹേ ദേവാ, അങ്ങ് എനിക്ക് പുണ്യപ്രഭാസത്തെ പരമോന്നതമെന്നായി ഉപദേശിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• devatānām: of the deities
• devatānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• ṛṣīṇām: of the sages
• ṛṣīṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• santi: are
• santi: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• sthānāni: places
• sthānāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• anekaśaḥ: in many (numerous) ways / many
• anekaśaḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anekaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘in many ways/many times’)

• param: supreme
• param: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (of prabhāsam)

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

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुषार्थे? (2nd person pronoun), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• puṇyam: holy, meritorious
• puṇyam: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (of prabhāsam)

• prabhāsam: Prabhāsa (sacred place)
• prabhāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• kathitam: told, narrated
• kathitam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kath (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘has been told’

• mama: to me / of me
• mama: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee addresses the Lord/teacher, gesturing toward a radiant coastal kṣetra—Prabhāsa—where temples gleam and sages’ hermitages dot the shore.

Characters & Entities

• Devatās
• Ṛṣis
• Prabhāsa (kṣetra/region)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Among countless sacred abodes, certain kṣetras are singled out as ‘supreme’ due to their concentrated spiritual potency and salvific promise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa—presented as exceptionally holy, within which Vastrāpatha Kṣetra is being discussed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; the verse transitions toward asking the reason (kāraṇa) for Prabhāsa/Vastrāpatha’s superiority.