Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 158

Devanagari script

स्त्रीरूपधारी कृष्णोऽसौ गौरीं रक्षति मंदिरे । गौरीणां तु शतं चक्रे हरिस्तत्र स मायया

Transliteration

strīrūpadhārī kṛṣṇo'sau gaurīṃ rakṣati maṃdire | gaurīṇāṃ tu śataṃ cakre haristatra sa māyayā

Translation

സ്ത്രീരൂപം ധരിച്ച ആ കൃഷ്ണൻ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ ഗൗരിയെ കാത്തു; അവിടെ ഹരി തന്റെ മായയാൽ ഗൗരിയുടെ നൂറു രൂപങ്ങൾ സൃഷ്ടിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• स्त्रीरूपधारी: bearing a woman’s form
• स्त्रीरूपधारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्त्री + रूप + √धृ (धातु) → धारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (स्त्रियाः रूपम् + धारिन्); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• कृष्णः: Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• असौ: that one/he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गौरीम्: Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• गौरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• रक्षति: protects
• रक्षति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √रक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मन्दिरे: in the temple
• मन्दिरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्दिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• गौरीणाम्: of (many) Gaurīs
• गौरीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

• चक्रे: made/created
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• हरिः: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative adverb/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): देशवाचक

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मायया: by (his) illusion
• मायया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced narrative voice within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kṛṣṇa/Hari takes a woman’s form inside a temple, shielding Gaurī; by māyā he manifests a hundred ‘Gaurīs,’ filling the sanctum with radiant duplicates to confound the demon.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Hari (Viṣṇu)
• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Mandira (temple)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine power (māyā) protects dharma; Hari and Śiva’s sphere cooperate to safeguard the Goddess and uphold cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The temple setting belongs to Vastrāpatha Kṣetra, praised in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed; the verse reinforces the sanctity of the temple and kṣetra through līlā.