Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । ओंनमोनंताय सूक्ष्माय ज्ञानगम्याय वेधसे । शुद्धाय विश्वरूपाय देवदेवाय शंभवे

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | oṃnamonaṃtāya sūkṣmāya jñānagamyāya vedhase | śuddhāya viśvarūpāya devadevāya śaṃbhave

Translation

พระวยาสตรัสว่า: โอม—ขอนอบน้อมแด่อนันต์ ผู้ละเอียด ผู้เข้าถึงได้ด้วยญาณแท้ แด่พระผู้สร้าง; แด่ผู้บริสุทธิ์ผู้มีรูปเป็นสากล; แด่ศัมภู เทวเทพเจ้า

Word by Word

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ॐ: Oṃ
• ॐ: Sambandha (Invocation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: oṃ (अव्यय/प्रणव)
• Form: अव्यय (sacred syllable/प्रणव)

• नमः: salutations
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: namas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (indeclinable interjection used with dative): ‘salutation’

• अनन्ताय: to the Infinite (Ananta)
• अनन्ताय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ananta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन (dative)

• सूक्ष्माय: to the subtle one
• सूक्ष्माय: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūkṣma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; विशेषण (of Ananta/Śiva)

• ज्ञान-गम्याय: to the one knowable through knowledge
• ज्ञान-गम्याय: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक) + गम्य (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘ज्ञानेन गम्यः’ = knowable through knowledge); गम्य = यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive-like adjective); पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन

• वेधसे: to the creator (Vedhas)
• वेधसे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vedhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन (दत्तिवचन; वेधस्-शब्दः)

• शुद्धाय: to the pure one
• शुद्धाय: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; विशेषण

• विश्व-रूपाय: to the universal-formed one
• विश्व-रूपाय: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘विश्वं रूपं यस्य’/‘विश्व-रूपः’); पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन

• देव-देवाय: to the god of gods
• देव-देवाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘देवानां देवः’); पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन

• शम्भवे: to Śambhu (Śiva)
• शम्भवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śambhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन (शम्भु-शब्दस्य चतुर्थी)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (macro-frame) / Arbuda tīrtha-cycle (sectional frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (implied, addressed in next verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa seated in an āśrama, hands in añjali, invoking Śambhu; behind him a cosmic viśvarūpa silhouette—galaxies, rivers, mountains—contained within Śiva’s form.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Ananta (Infinite)
• Vedhā (Creator)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All tīrtha-teachings are grounded in devotion to the Supreme—here praised as Śiva, infinite and all-pervading, approachable through true knowledge and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is an opening invocation; it sets the Śaiva theological frame before specific Arbuda/Prabhāsa tīrthas are detailed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Maṅgala (invocatory) namaskāra: beginning the discourse with Oṃ and salutations to Śiva.