Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । पुरोद्वर्त्तनजं लेपं गृहीत्वा नृप पार्वती । विनोदार्थं चकाराथ बालकं सुकुमारकम्

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | purodvarttanajaṃ lepaṃ gṛhītvā nṛpa pārvatī | vinodārthaṃ cakārātha bālakaṃ sukumārakam

Translation

ปุลัสตยะกล่าวว่า: ข้าแต่มหาราช ปารวตีทรงนำเลปะที่เกิดจากการอุทวรรตนะพระวรกาย แล้วเพื่อความสำราญจึงปั้นเป็นเด็กชายผู้บอบบางอ่อนละมุน

Word by Word

• पुलस्त्यः: Pulastya
• पुलस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• पुरोद्वर्तनजम्: produced from (body-)rubbing/anointing
• पुरोद्वर्तनजम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुरः + उद्वर्तन + ज (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभावः (उद्वर्तनात् जातम्; ‘arising from rubbing/anointing’)

• लेपम्: paste/unguent
• लेपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गृहीत्वा: having taken
• गृहीत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• पार्वती: Pārvatī
• पार्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• विनोदार्थम्: for amusement
• विनोदार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विनोद + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषः (विनोदाय अर्थः)

• चकार: made/did
• चकार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (sequence particle: ‘then’)

• बालकम्: a boy/child
• बालकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सुकुमारकम्: very delicate/tender
• सुकुमारकम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + कुमारक (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सुकुमारः कुमारकः)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahāvināyaka (narrative foundation)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yayāti

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī, after body-anointing, gathers the fragrant paste and shapes a delicate boy; the scene is intimate, domestic-divine, set in a celestial chamber with attendants and ritual vessels.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Pārvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine manifestation can arise from the intimate, embodied sphere of the Goddess—sanctifying even ‘ordinary’ substances through śakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse begins the origin narrative that underlies the Mahāvināyaka site described in Arbuda Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it narrates the mythic origin (utpatti-kathā) of the deity’s manifestation.