Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 174

Devanagari script

विवस्वते ज्ञानभृतेऽन्तरात्मने जगत्प्रतिष्ठाय जगद्धितैषिणे । स्वयंभुवे निर्मललोकचक्षुषे सुरोत्तमायामिततेजसे नमः

Transliteration

vivasvate jñānabhṛte'ntarātmane jagatpratiṣṭhāya jagaddhitaiṣiṇe | svayaṃbhuve nirmalalokacakṣuṣe surottamāyāmitatejase namaḥ

Translation

Sembah sujud kepada Vivasvān—pembawa pengetahuan, Ātman batin; asas tegaknya jagat dan pencari kebajikan bagi dunia; Yang lahir sendiri (Svayambhū), Mata yang suci bagi segala alam; yang terbaik antara para dewa, bersinar dengan kemuliaan yang tiada terukur.

Word by Word

• vivasvate: to Vivasvat (the Sun)
• vivasvate: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vivasvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• jñāna-bhṛte: to the bearer of knowledge
• jñāna-bhṛte: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + bhṛt (कृदन्त, √bhṛ/भृ ‘to bear’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (ज्ञानं बिभर्ति)

• antar-ātmane: to the inner self
• antar-ātmane: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antar (अव्यय/उपसर्गसदृश) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (अन्तरात्मा)

• jagat-pratiṣṭhāya: to the foundation of the world
• jagat-pratiṣṭhāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + pratiṣṭhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (जगतः प्रतिष्ठा)

• jagat-hita-eṣiṇe: to the seeker of the world’s welfare
• jagat-hita-eṣiṇe: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक) + hita (प्रातिपदिक) + eṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (जगतो हितम् एषते/इच्छति)

• svayaṃ-bhuve: to the self-existent one
• svayaṃ-bhuve: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svayam (अव्यय) + bhū (धातु √bhū/भू) → svayaṃbhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—अव्ययीभावः (स्वयम् भूः = self-existent)

• nirmala-loka-cakṣuṣe: to the pure eye of the world
• nirmala-loka-cakṣuṣe: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nirmala (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक) + cakṣus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (cakṣus), चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (निर्मलं लोकचक्षुः)

• sura-uttamāya: to the best among the gods
• sura-uttamāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सुरेषु उत्तमः)

• amita-tejase: to him of immeasurable splendor
• amita-tejase: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: amita (प्रातिपदिक) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (tejas), चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (अमितं तेजः यस्य)

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Predicate/Exclamation (सम्बोधनार्थ/नमस्कार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययप्रयोगः)
• Form: अव्यय; नमस्कारवाचक निपातः

Speaker

Unspecified within snippet (Sūrya-stuti in Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūrya as the luminous ‘eye of the worlds’ radiates over Prabhāsa; rays form a mandala that touches pilgrims, temples, and the sea, suggesting the world’s foundation resting in his light.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya (Vivasvān)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True devotion sees Sūrya as inner consciousness and cosmic support, whose radiance is both physical light and spiritual knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is situated in Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya, the sacred geography of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A devotional salutation (namaḥ) and contemplative praise; no explicit pilgrimage rule is stated here.