Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ॐ नमो विष्णुगुप्ताय विष्णुरूपाय ते नमः । सांनिध्ये भव देवेश सागरे लवणाम्भसि

Transliteration

oṃ namo viṣṇuguptāya viṣṇurūpāya te namaḥ | sāṃnidhye bhava deveśa sāgare lavaṇāmbhasi

Translation

ਓਂ। ਵਿਸ਼ਣੁਗੁਪਤ ਨੂੰ ਨਮਸਕਾਰ; ਵਿਸ਼ਣੁ-ਸਰੂਪ ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਨਮਸਕਾਰ। ਹੇ ਦੇਵਾਂ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ, ਲਵਣ-ਜਲ ਵਾਲੇ ਇਸ ਸਮੁੰਦਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਆਪਣਾ ਸਾਨਿਧ੍ਯ ਬਖ਼ਸ਼ੋ।

Word by Word

• ॐ: Oṃ
• ॐ: Mantra-marker (Invocation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ॐ (अव्यय/प्रणव)
• Form: प्रणव-निपात (sacred syllable)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha-bodhaka (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपातवत् अव्यय-प्रयोग (indeclinable interjection): ‘salutation’

• विष्णुगुप्ताय: to Viṣṇugupta
• विष्णुगुप्ताय: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णुगुप्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• विष्णुरूपाय: to the one of Viṣṇu-form
• विष्णुरूपाय: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णुरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• ते: to you; your
• ते: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम: ‘your/unto you’ (here: dative/possessive nuance in mantra)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha-bodhaka (Salutation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निपातवत् अव्यय-प्रयोग: repetition for mantra

• सांनिध्ये: in (your) presence; in proximity
• सांनिध्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांनिध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• भव: be; become
• भव: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• देवेश: O Lord of gods
• देवेश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सागरे: in the sea
• सागरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• लवण-अम्भसि: in the salty water
• लवण-अम्भसि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लवण (प्रातिपदिक) + अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लवणस्य अम्भः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (teaching the mantra) to Devī (Pārvatī) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-samudra-tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa stands at the foaming shoreline with folded hands, invoking Viṣṇugupta/Viṣṇu-form while the sun glints on salt waves; distant temple silhouettes and conch-bearing attendants suggest divine proximity.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇugupta
• Viṣṇu
• Deveśa (Lord of the Gods)
• Sea (sāgara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mantra-sacralization invokes divine presence in sacred geography, revealing the tīrtha as a living locus of the deity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sāgara (salt sea) of Prabhāsa, where divine sāṃnidhya is sought through mantra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recitation of this mantra to invoke the Lord’s presence in the sea before/while performing the ocean-contact rite.