Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

नमस्ते पद्मपत्राक्षि विश्वमातर्नमोनमः । नमस्ते वरदे देवि रजःसत्त्वतमोमयि

Transliteration

namaste padmapatrākṣi viśvamātarnamonamaḥ | namaste varade devi rajaḥsattvatamomayi

Translation

ହେ ପଦ୍ମପତ୍ରାକ୍ଷୀ! ତୁମକୁ ନମସ୍କାର। ହେ ବିଶ୍ୱମାତା! ପୁନଃପୁନଃ ନମୋ ନମଃ। ହେ ବରଦାୟିନୀ ଦେବୀ! ରଜଃ-ସତ୍ତ୍ୱ-ତମୋମୟୀ, ତୁମକୁ ପ୍ରଣାମ।

Word by Word

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोगः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात), नमस्कारार्थकम्

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचनरूपम् (genitive/dative singular enclitic)

• padmapatrākṣi: O lotus-leaf-eyed one
• padmapatrākṣi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣi (अक्षि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम्; बहुव्रीहि-समासः (यस्याः अक्षिणी पद्मपत्रे इव)

• viśvamātar: O Mother of the universe
• viśvamātar: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (मातृ प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम्; ‘विश्वस्य माता’

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोगः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात), नमस्कारार्थकम्

• namaḥ: salutation again
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोगः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात), पुनरुक्ति-नमस्कारः

• namaḥ: salutation
• namaḥ: Sambodhana/Address (सम्बोधन-प्रयोगः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात), नमस्कारार्थकम्

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (युष्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचनरूपम् (genitive/dative singular enclitic)

• varade: O boon-giver
• varade: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + da (दा धातु-आधारित प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (वरं ददाति)

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम्

• rajaḥsattvatamomayi: O one consisting of rajas, sattva, and tamas
• rajaḥsattvatamomayi: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rajas (प्रातिपदिक) + sattva (प्रातिपदिक) + tamas (प्रातिपदिक) + mayī (मयट्-प्रत्ययान्त प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (रजः-सत्त्व-तमःमयी = composed of the three guṇas)

Speaker

Devāḥ (the gods) — inferred from the stuti sequence

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-parvata

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers repeated prostrations to a lotus-eyed Goddess envisioned as the cosmic Mother, her aura showing the three guṇas as three interwoven hues, with a sacred mountain backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• viśvamātā
• triguṇa (rajas-sattva-tamas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Goddess is both compassionate boon-giver and the cosmic ground of nature’s three guṇas—intimate as Mother, vast as reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda-khaṇḍa context within Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa, where Devī’s glory is celebrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devī-namaskāra and stotra recitation, emphasizing her maternal and cosmic aspects.