Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

या सुमध्या पृथुश्रोणी प्रतिमा काञ्चनी यथा । प्राप्तेयं देवकन्या वा दृष्ट्वा तां मेनिरे जनाः

Transliteration

yā sumadhyā pṛthuśroṇī pratimā kāñcanī yathā | prāpteyaṃ devakanyā vā dṛṣṭvā tāṃ menire janāḥ

Translation

Berpinggang ramping dan berpinggul lebar, dia bersinar laksana arca emas; melihatnya, orang ramai menyangka, “Adakah bidadari turun ke sini?”

Word by Word

• या: who
• या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Relative pronoun, Nominative singular

• सुमध्या: slender-waisted
• सुमध्या: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—सुन्दरः मध्यः यस्याः (slender-waisted)

• पृथुश्रोणी: broad-hipped
• पृथुश्रोणी: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पृथु-श्रोणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—पृथ्वी/विस्तीर्णा श्रोणी यस्याः (broad-hipped)

• प्रतिमा: an image; likeness
• प्रतिमा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular (apposition)

• काञ्चनी: golden
• काञ्चनी: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काञ्चनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘golden’; agrees with प्रतिमा

• यथा: as if/like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमा/प्रकार-वाचक (as/like)

• प्राप्ता: arrived
• प्राप्ता: Kriya (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √प्राप् (धातु; प्राप्तौ) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) used predicatively; ‘has arrived/has been obtained’

• इयम्: this (she)
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• देवकन्या: a divine maiden
• देवकन्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव-कन्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवस्य कन्या)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Alternative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु; दर्शने)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund); ‘having seen’

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• मेनिरे: thought; considered
• मेनिरे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मन् (धातु; मन्यते/ज्ञाने)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; Nominative plural

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the sacred precincts of Prabhāsa, townsfolk pause as a radiant, slim-waisted, broad-hipped maiden passes; her complexion gleams like a golden icon, prompting whispers that a devakanyā has descended.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī
• Deva-kanyā (celestial maiden, as comparison)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A life shaped by sacred merit (puṇya) and divine favor radiates auspicious qualities recognized even by ordinary observers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s Sāvitrī-sthala is praised implicitly through the extraordinary outcome of its vow and worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it continues the narrative description following the tīrtha-vrata boon.