Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

भवतां वचनाद्विप्राः सूर्यमाराधयाम्यहम् । मम वै पूर्वमादिष्टं स्थानमेतच्च विष्णुना

Transliteration

bhavatāṃ vacanādviprāḥ sūryamārādhayāmyaham | mama vai pūrvamādiṣṭaṃ sthānametacca viṣṇunā

Translation

“Wahai para brāhmaṇa, menurut kata-kata tuan-tuan, aku akan memuja Surya, Sang Matahari. Kerana tempat inilah yang dahulu telah ditetapkan bagiku oleh Viṣṇu.”

Word by Word

• भवताम्: of you (honoured ones)
• भवताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; आदरार्थ-प्रयोग (honorific)

• वचनात्: from (your) word/command
• वचनात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन

• विप्राः: O Brahmins
• विप्राः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), बहुवचन

• सूर्यम्: the Sun
• सूर्यम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आराधयामि: I worship/propitiate
• आराधयामि: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√राध् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वै: indeed
• वै: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (formerly/before)

• आदिष्टम्: appointed/commanded
• आदिष्टम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/attribute)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-√दिश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying स्थानम्)

• स्थानम्: place
• स्थानम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• विष्णुना: by Viṣṇu
• विष्णुना: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Sāmba

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhākara/Sūrya-sthāna)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas of Prabhāsa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sāmba vows before the brāhmaṇas: ‘At your word I will worship the Sun; Viṣṇu earlier appointed this place for me.’

Characters & Entities

• Sāmba
• Brāhmaṇas
• Sūrya
• Viṣṇu
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True worship is grounded in humility—accepting guidance from the wise—and in faith that sacred places are divinely appointed for one’s spiritual remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, presented as the divinely designated setting for Sāmba’s Sūrya-upāsanā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sūrya-ārādhanā (propitiation/worship of the Sun) is explicitly undertaken.