Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

धन्वंतरिर्धूमकेतुरादिदेवोऽदितेः सुतः । द्वादशात्माऽरविंदाक्षः पिता माता पितामहः

Transliteration

dhanvaṃtarirdhūmaketurādidevo'diteḥ sutaḥ | dvādaśātmā'raviṃdākṣaḥ pitā mātā pitāmahaḥ

Translation

Baginda ialah Dhanvantari; baginda juga Dhūmaketu; Dewa Purba, putera Aditi. Baginda berhakikat dua belas; bermata teratai; dan baginda ialah bapa, ibu, serta datuk moyang—punca dan penopang segala keturunan.

Word by Word

• dhanvantariḥ: Dhanvantari
• dhanvantariḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanvantari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dhūmaketuḥ: smoke-bannered; comet
• dhūmaketuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhūma (प्रातिपदिक) + ketu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: धूम इव केतुः / धूमस्य केतुः

• ādidevaḥ: primeval god
• ādidevaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: देवानाम् आदिः / आदौ देवः

• aditeḥ: of Aditi
• aditeḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aditi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• sutaḥ: son
• sutaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक; √सू-धातु-सम्बद्ध)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dvādaśātmā: one whose nature is twelvefold
• dvādaśātmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: द्वादश आत्मानः यस्य / द्वादशरूप आत्मा

• aravindākṣaḥ: lotus-eyed
• aravindākṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aravinda (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः: अरविन्दवत् अक्षिणी यस्य

• pitā: father
• pitā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; पितृ-शब्द (irregular stem)

• mātā: mother
• mātā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; मातृ-शब्द (irregular stem)

• pitāmahaḥ: grandfather
• pitāmahaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + maha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: पितॄणां महः / पितुः महः (grandfather)

Speaker

Indra (Śakra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/pilgrims (frame audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Dhanvantari rises with a pot of amṛta against the Prabhāsa sea, merging into a lotus-eyed supreme form; around him, twelve solar emblems form a halo; devotees seek healing, while ancestral figures fade into the divine source behind them.

Characters & Entities

• Dhanvantari
• Dhūmaketu
• Aditi
• Āditya (Sūrya)
• Dvādaśa-Āditya concept

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sūrya is the primal Āditya and the sustaining ancestor of all; contemplating his twelvefold rhythm links devotion with the cosmic order of months and life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra in the Skanda Purāṇa’s Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct instruction; the verse functions as a nāma for recitation, especially meaningful in monthly/solar observances.