Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

वपुः प्राप्तं तया यस्मात्तस्मात्पा र्थिवसत्तम । नाम्ना वपुरिति ख्याता सा बभूव वराप्सराः

Transliteration

vapuḥ prāptaṃ tayā yasmāttasmātpā rthivasattama | nāmnā vapuriti khyātā sā babhūva varāpsarāḥ

Translation

அவள் சிறந்த வபுஃ (உடல்) பெற்றதனால், அரசர்களில் சிறந்தவனே, அவள் ‘வபுர்’ என்ற பெயரால் புகழ்பெற்று, உத்தம அப்சரஸாக ஆனாள்.

Word by Word

• वपुः: beauty/body
• वपुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• प्राप्तम्: obtained/attained
• प्राप्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘प्राप्तम् (is) obtained’

• तया: by her
• तया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• यस्मात्: because/from which
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; तदनुबंध (correlative)

• पार्थिवसत्तम: O best of kings
• पार्थिवसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थिव + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (पार्थिवः सत्तमः)

• नाम्ना: by name
• नाम्ना: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘नाम्ना’ = ‘by name’

• वपुर्: Vapu (as a name)
• वपुर्: Pratipadya (Name-apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (नामरूपेण)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/नामनिर्देश (quotative)

• ख्याता: was known/called
• ख्याता: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वरा: excellent
• वरा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• अप्सराः: apsaras (celestial nymph)
• अप्सराः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (काव्ये प्रायः ‘अप्सराः’ रूपं एकवचनेऽपि दृश्यते)

Speaker

Pulastya (continuing narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (pārthiva-sattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The transformed woman now appears as an excellent apsaras, radiant and exquisitely formed; the narration explains her name ‘Vapur’ derived from her splendid body.

Characters & Entities

• Vapur (apsaras)
• Pārthiva-sattama (best of kings)
• Apsaras

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Punya gained through sacred observance can refine even one’s embodied condition, symbolized by the attainment of a luminous ‘vapuḥ’ and a new divine identity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse ties the fruit to the earlier described sacred bathing context in Arbuda-khaṇḍa; the precise site is developed in adjacent verses.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the merit of the prescribed snāna culminates in transformation; no new ritual detail is added here.