Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

महाप्रभावो देवेशि सर्वदारिद्र्यनाशनः । मित्रो नाम पुरा देवि धर्मात्माऽभूद्धरातले । कायस्थः सर्वभूतानां नित्यं भूतहिते रतः

Transliteration

mahāprabhāvo deveśi sarvadāridryanāśanaḥ | mitro nāma purā devi dharmātmā'bhūddharātale | kāyasthaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ nityaṃ bhūtahite rataḥ

Translation

Wahai Dewi, tīrtha/dewa ini berkuasa agung dan memusnahkan segala bentuk kemiskinan. Pada zaman dahulu, wahai Devi, di bumi ada seorang yang berjiwa dharma bernama Mitra—seorang kāyastha—sentiasa tekun demi kebajikan semua makhluk.

Word by Word

• महाप्रभावः: of great power
• महाप्रभावः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (मित्रः)

• देवेशि: O goddess, lady of the gods
• देवेशि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• सर्वदारिद्र्यनाशनः: destroyer of all poverty
• सर्वदारिद्र्यनाशनः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + दारिद्र्य + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (मित्रः); समासः—तत्पुरुष (सर्वस्य दारिद्र्यस्य नाशनः)

• मित्रः: Mitra (a person named Mitra)
• मित्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नाम: by name
• नाम: Sambandha (Apposition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle indicating name/quotation)

• पुरा: formerly; once
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time)

• देवि: O देवी
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• धर्मात्मा: righteous-souled
• धर्मात्मा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (मित्रः); समासः—तत्पुरुष (धर्मः आत्मा यस्य)

• अभूत्: was; became
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• धरातले: on the surface of the earth
• धरातले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरातल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (धरायाः तलम्)

• कायस्थः: a kāyastha (scribe/official)
• कायस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कायस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; जातिवाचक/पदवाचक

• सर्वभूतानाम्: of all beings
• सर्वभूतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सर्वाणि भूतानि)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगे अव्ययवत्; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: always)

• भूतहिते: in the welfare of beings
• भूतहिते: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत + हित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भूतानां हितम्)

• रतः: engaged; devoted
• रतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम (धातु) → रत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle used adjectivally), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कायस्थः/मित्रः)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (carried over from 139.1)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Citrāditya/Brahma-kuṇḍa vicinity (station introduced)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A righteous kāyastha named Mitra, modestly dressed, distributing food/coins, helping petitioners; behind him a shrine/kuṇḍa of Prabhāsa. The atmosphere suggests compassion and the turning of fortune through dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī
• Mitra
• Citrāditya (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True dharma is shown through constant concern for the welfare of beings, and sacred places are praised as removing material and spiritual impoverishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate narrative context is the Citrāditya/Brahma-kuṇḍa region in Prabhāsa; the verse highlights a poverty-destroying sacred potency tied to that locale.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse introduces the tīrtha’s fruit (poverty-destruction) and a dharmic exemplar (Mitra).