Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

आहैवं पुंडरीकाक्षमपः कुरु त्वमक्षयाः । अन्यथा सर्वनाशेन जलानां मामिहाग्रतः । भक्षयिष्यत्यसौ वह्निर्वाडवो हि जनार्द्दन

Transliteration

āhaivaṃ puṃḍarīkākṣamapaḥ kuru tvamakṣayāḥ | anyathā sarvanāśena jalānāṃ māmihāgrataḥ | bhakṣayiṣyatyasau vahnirvāḍavo hi janārddana

Translation

ତେବେ ସେ ପଦ୍ମନେତ୍ର ଜନାର୍ଦ୍ଦନଙ୍କୁ କହିଲା— “ହେ ପ୍ରଭୁ, ଏହି ଜଳକୁ ଅକ୍ଷୟ କରନ୍ତୁ; ନଚେତ୍ ମୋ ଆଗରେ ହିଁ ସେ ବାଡବାନଳ ଅଗ୍ନି ଜଳର ସର୍ବନାଶ କରି ମୋତେ ମଧ୍ୟ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ଗ୍ରସିବ।”

Word by Word

• āha: said
• āha: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (अह्/आह्)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• evam: thus
• evam: Sambandha (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• puṇḍarīka-akṣam: to Puṇḍarīkākṣa (lotus-eyed one)
• puṇḍarīka-akṣam: Karma (Object addressed/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇḍarīka (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समासः = ‘whose eyes are like lotuses’ (विष्णु)

• apaḥ: waters
• apaḥ: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ap (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन (Acc. pl.; pluralia tantum)

• kuru: make
• kuru: Kriya (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Agent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (युष्मद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुषार्थे (2nd person pronoun), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• akṣayāḥ: imperishable
• akṣayāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-बहुवचन; ‘apaḥ’ इति विशेषण

• anyathā: otherwise
• anyathā: Sambandha (Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anyathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्प/अन्यथा (otherwise)

• sarva-nāśena: by total destruction
• sarva-nāśena: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष)

• jalānām: of the waters
• jalānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद्) (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमपुरुषार्थे (1st person pronoun), द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• agrataḥ: in front (of you)
• agrataḥ: Adhikarana (Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: agrataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुरतः (in front)

• bhakṣayiṣyati: will devour
• bhakṣayiṣyati: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhakṣ (भक्ष्)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• asau: that (one)
• asau: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• vahniḥ: fire
• vahniḥ: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vāḍavaḥ: the Vāḍava (submarine)
• vāḍavaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāḍava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘vahniḥ’ इति विशेषण (the submarine fire)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphasis/for)

• janārdana: O Janārdana
• janārdana: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janārdana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Ocean (Jalanidhi/Samudra) appealing to Viṣṇu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha/Someśa vicinity)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Umā addressed as ‘Mahādevī’ in the surrounding verses; broader audience of sages implied

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Ocean personified pleads before lotus-eyed Janārdana; behind them the terrifying Vaḍavānala threatens to drink the waters; the shoreline of Prabhāsa glows with ominous light.

Characters & Entities

• Puṇḍarīkākṣa (Viṣṇu)
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• Ocean (Samudra)
• Vaḍavānala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In crisis, even the mighty seek refuge in the Divine; grace preserves the world by making resources sustainable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s seaside sanctity—where the Purāṇa frames the ocean’s protection as part of the region’s sacred greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual here; it is a supplication (śaraṇāgati) to Viṣṇu for safeguarding the waters.