Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

अथाब्रवीद्ब्राह्मणोऽसौ यदि प्रेषयसे प्रभो । प्रश्नमेकं मया पृष्टो यथावद्वक्तुमर्हसि

Transliteration

athābravīdbrāhmaṇo'sau yadi preṣayase prabho | praśnamekaṃ mayā pṛṣṭo yathāvadvaktumarhasi

Translation

Тогда этот брахман сказал: «О Господь, если ты отсылаешь меня, ты должен должным образом ответить на один вопрос, который я задам».

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• abravīt: said
• abravīt: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (ब्रू धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/लङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• brāhmaṇaḥ: the Brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• asau: that (person)
• asau: Apposition (समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (if)

• preṣayase: you send / dispatch
• preṣayase: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: preṣ (प्रेष् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• prabho: O lord
• prabho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• praśnam: a question
• praśnam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praśna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• ekam: one
• ekam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (प्रश्नम्)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• pṛṣṭaḥ: (I am) asked / having asked
• pṛṣṭaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prach (प्रच्छ् धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘asked’ (agreeing with implied ‘अहम्’)

• yathāvat: properly
• yathāvat: Sambandha (Manner/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक-अव्यय (properly, as it should be)

• vaktum: to speak
• vaktum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), ‘to speak’

• arhasi: you ought / are fit
• arhasi: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arh (अर्ह् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Brāhmaṇa (unnamed interlocutor)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble brāhmaṇa, palms joined, stands before a radiant deva/authority figure at the edge of a sacred precinct, requesting a final answer before departure; the mood is calm and formal.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A seeker should clarify dharma through respectful questioning, especially regarding consequences of karma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The exchange is embedded in the Prabhāsa Kṣetra Māhātmya, the tīrtha-context for the teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it introduces a doctrinal question-and-answer sequence.