Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

समुद्र उवाच । ब्राह्मणेभ्यो न भीः कार्या कथंचित्सुरसत्तमाः । अहं वो रक्षयिष्यामि प्रविशध्वं ममोदरे

Transliteration

samudra uvāca | brāhmaṇebhyo na bhīḥ kāryā kathaṃcitsurasattamāḥ | ahaṃ vo rakṣayiṣyāmi praviśadhvaṃ mamodare

Translation

Disse o Oceano: «Ó melhores entre os deuses, não temais de modo algum os brāhmaṇas. Eu vos protegerei — entrai no meu ventre, nas minhas profundezas».

Word by Word

• samudraḥ: the Ocean
• samudraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Masculine, Nominative singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = Perfect, 3rd person singular, Parasmaipada

• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: from the brahmins / regarding the brahmins
• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: Apādāna/Hetu (Source/Cause nuance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी/पञ्चमी (4th/5th case), बहुवचन = Masculine, Dat/Abl plural; अत्र ‘भयस्य हेतुः/संबन्ध’ अर्थे

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध) = negation particle

• bhīḥ: fear
• bhīḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Feminine, Nominative singular

• kāryā: to be done / should be (there)
• kāryā: Vidhi (Obligation predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (कृदन्त/तव्यत्-प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ कृ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Feminine, Nominative singular; विधेय-विशेषणम् (भवितव्यम्/should be done)

• kathaṃcit: in any way, at all
• kathaṃcit: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃcit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = adverb; ‘कथंचन/कदाचिदपि’

• sura-sattamāḥ: O best of the gods
• sura-sattamāḥ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sura (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), बहुवचन = Masculine, Vocative plural; समासः = तत्पुरुषः (सुरेषु सत्तमाः)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Pronoun, Nominative singular

• vaḥ: you (all)
• vaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/द्वितीया, बहुवचन = Genitive/Accusative plural enclitic; अत्र कर्म (you) अर्थे

• rakṣayiṣyāmi: will protect
• rakṣayiṣyāmi: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √rakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल/Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद = Simple future, 1st person singular

• praviśadhvam: enter
• praviśadhvam: Kriyā (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√viś (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद = Imperative, 2nd person plural, Ātmanepada

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन = Genitive singular pronoun

• udare: in (my) belly
• udare: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: udara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन = Neuter, Locative singular

Speaker

Samudra (Sāgara, the Ocean)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (Samudra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas (surasattamāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Ocean speaks with calm authority, telling the gods not to fear and inviting them into his depths for protection—an image of vast, sheltering waters.

Characters & Entities

• Samudra/Sāgara
• Devas
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Granting refuge and protection is upheld as dharmic strength, calming fear and restoring order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya frames the ocean as part of the sacred landscape connected to Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a narrative assurance of protection and an instruction to enter the ocean’s depths.