Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अनादिनिधनो देवो बहुशीर्षो महाभुजः । इत्यादिवेदवचनैस्ततस्तुष्टो महेश्वरः । प्राह ब्रह्मन्वरं यत्ते वृणीष्व मनसि स्थितम्

Transliteration

anādinidhano devo bahuśīrṣo mahābhujaḥ | ityādivedavacanaistatastuṣṭo maheśvaraḥ | prāha brahmanvaraṃ yatte vṛṇīṣva manasi sthitam

Translation

“ദേവൻ അനാദി-അനന്തൻ, ബഹുശിരസ്സും മഹാബാഹുവും ഉള്ളവൻ”—ഇത്യാദി വേദവചനങ്ങളാൽ സ്തുതിക്കപ്പെട്ടപ്പോൾ മഹേശ്വരൻ പ്രസന്നനായി. തുടർന്ന് അദ്ദേഹം ബ്രഹ്മനോട്—“ഹേ ബ്രഹ്മൻ, നിന്റെ മനസ്സിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്ന വരം തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുക” എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

• अनादिनिधनः: without beginning and without end
• अनादिनिधनः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनादि (प्रातिपदिक) + निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (आदि च निधनं च; न आदि न निधनम् इति नञ्-प्रयोगार्थे बहुधा); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; देवस्य विशेषण

• देवः: the god
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• बहुशीर्षः: many-headed
• बहुशीर्षः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + शीर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (बहूनि शीर्षाणि यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• महाभुजः: having great arms
• महाभुजः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुव्रीहि-समास (महान्तो भुजाः यस्य); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यर्थक-निपात (quotative particle)

• आदि: and the like
• आदि: Sambandha (Appender)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; आद्यर्थे (etc., and so on)

• वेदवचनैः: by Vedic utterances
• वेदवचनैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वेदस्य वचनानि); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• ततः: then, thereupon
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनन्तरं/तस्मात् (then/thereupon)

• तुष्टः: pleased
• तुष्टः: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुष् (धातु) → तुष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; महेश्वरस्य विशेषण

• महेश्वरः: Mahēśvara
• महेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह्/ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmā
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• वरम्: a boon
• वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• यत्: which/whatever
• यत्: Karma (Correlative object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध) एकवचन (te = your)

• वृणीष्व: choose
• वृणीष्व: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• मनसि: in (your) mind
• मनसि: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• स्थितम्: situated, present
• स्थितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; यत्/वरम् इत्यस्य विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator (reporting Maheśvara’s speech to Brahmā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous Maheśvara, many-headed and mighty-armed in iconographic suggestion, receives Vedic praise; sages/Brahmā-like figure recites śruti while Śiva, pleased, offers a boon.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Maheśvara)
• Brahmā
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic-aligned praise offered with devotion pleases the Lord, who then grants boons according to dharmic intention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The māhātmya context is Vastrāpathakṣetra in Prabhāsa, presented as sanctified by Śiva’s boon-giving presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Veda-vacana (Vedic recitation/praise) is implied as a means of propitiating Śiva.