Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

गंतुं न विद्यते शक्तिर्जलमध्ये ममाधुना । अवतारैस्त्वया कार्यं दशभिः सृष्टिरक्षण म्

Transliteration

gaṃtuṃ na vidyate śaktirjalamadhye mamādhunā | avatāraistvayā kāryaṃ daśabhiḥ sṛṣṭirakṣaṇa m

Translation

Kini, di tengah-tengah perairan ini, aku tiada daya untuk mara. Maka engkau hendaklah memelihara ciptaan dengan sepuluh penjelmaan (avatāra).

Word by Word

• गन्तुम्: to go
• गन्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), शक्यतार्थे (to go)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• विद्यते: is found/exists
• विद्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• शक्तिः: power/ability
• शक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• जलमध्ये: in the middle of water
• जलमध्ये: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (जलस्य मध्ये)

• मम: my/of me
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• अधुना: now
• अधुना: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधुना (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (now/at present)

• अवतारैः: by incarnations/descents
• अवतारैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवतार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कार्यम्: a task/what must be done
• कार्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृ-धातोः यत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दशभिः: with ten
• दशभिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• सृष्टि: creation
• सृष्टि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• रक्षणम्: protection
• रक्षणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रक्षण (प्रातिपदिक; रक्ष्-धातोः ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual narrator within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa; speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages (frame) / internal narrative audience (unspecified)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A speaker, stranded amid waters, declares inability to proceed and commissions the divine to protect creation through ten avatāras; watery expanse dominates the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Avatāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine protection operates through purposeful descents; when ordinary power fails, the Lord sustains dharma and creation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa’s Vastrāpatha-kṣetra-māhātmya, praising the sanctity of Vastrāpatha within the Prabhāsa sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it is a doctrinal statement about avatāras and cosmic protection.