Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । इति प्रोक्तस्तदा देव्या शंकरो लोकशंकरः । उवाच प्रहसन्वाक्यं पार्वतीं द्विजसत्तमाः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | iti proktastadā devyā śaṃkaro lokaśaṃkaraḥ | uvāca prahasanvākyaṃ pārvatīṃ dvijasattamāḥ

Translation

सूत म्हणाले—देवीने असे म्हटल्यावर, लोककल्याणकारी शंकर तेव्हा हसत पार्वतीला हे वचन बोलला, हे श्रेष्ठ द्विजांनो।

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-समाप्ति सूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• प्रोक्तः: having been spoken / addressed
• प्रोक्तः: Karma (Predicate participle/कर्मणि-भाव)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• देव्या: by the Goddess
• देव्या: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• शंकरः: Śaṅkara
• शंकरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• लोकशंकरः: benefactor of the world
• लोकशंकरः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक + शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'of the world'), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• प्रहसन्: smiling / laughing
• प्रहसन्: Karta (Concomitant action/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+हस् (धातु) → प्रहसत् (कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• वाक्यम्: words; a statement
• वाक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• पार्वतीम्: Pārvatī
• पार्वतीम्: Karma (Addressee/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• द्विजसत्तमः: O best of the twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• द्विजसत्तमः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense in narration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (among the twice-born), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvāija-sattamāḥ (best of twice-born; sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta narrates to assembled sages; cut to Śiva and Pārvatī seated in calm intimacy. Śiva smiles gently, signaling a compassionate revelation about Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred teachings are transmitted through revered dialogue and lineage of narration, preparing the listener for a revelatory māhātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is the topic being introduced through the Śiva–Pārvatī dialogue.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is a narrative transition into Śiva’s instruction.