Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

स कथं पञ्चतां प्राप प्रभासे पार्वतीपते । यः पुराणे पुराणात्मा वाराहं वपुरास्थितः

Transliteration

sa kathaṃ pañcatāṃ prāpa prabhāse pārvatīpate | yaḥ purāṇe purāṇātmā vārāhaṃ vapurāsthitaḥ

Translation

Wahai Tuan kepada Pārvatī, bagaimana mungkin Dia mencapai ‘keadaan lima unsur’ (yakni peleraian) di Prabhāsa—Dia, Diri Purba yang disebut dalam Purāṇa, yang bersemayam dalam tubuh Varāha (Babi Hutan)?

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• पञ्चताम्: the state of death (becoming the five elements)
• पञ्चताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; ‘पञ्चत्व’ = मरण/पञ्चभूतत्व-प्राप्ति

• प्राप: attained
• प्राप: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• प्रभासे: in Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• पार्वतीपते: O lord of Pārvatī
• पार्वतीपते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती-पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पार्वत्याः पतिः)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• पुराणे: in the Purāṇa
• पुराणे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• पुराणात्मा: the ancient-souled one
• पुराणात्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण-आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (पुराणः आत्मा यस्य/पुराणस्वरूप आत्मा)

• वाराहम्: boar-like
• वाराहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाराह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वपुः इति)

• वपुः: body, form
• वपुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• आस्थितः: having assumed / having taken (a form)
• आस्थितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परस्मैपद-भावः

Speaker

Unspecified (questioner addressing Śiva as ‘Pārvatīpati’)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis; addressed vocatively to Pārvatīpati within the verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee addresses ‘Pārvatīpati’ (Śiva) while speaking of Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa: how could the ancient Self reach pañcatā at Prabhāsa, he who once bore Varāha form? The scene can juxtapose Śiva as witness and the memory of Varāha lifting earth.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Pārvatīpati)
• Hari/Viṣṇu (implied)
• Varāha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Avatāra deeds proclaim the Lord’s transcendence; the ‘death at Prabhāsa’ motif functions to magnify Prabhāsa’s sanctity and the mystery of divine play.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, presented as a place so potent that even cosmic narratives are anchored to it.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is part of a theological inquiry.