Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

पुरा देवेन कथितं शृणु पात्रं वदाम्यहम् । प्रिया भागवता येषां तेषां दासोऽस्म्यहं सदा

Transliteration

purā devena kathitaṃ śṛṇu pātraṃ vadāmyaham | priyā bhāgavatā yeṣāṃ teṣāṃ dāso'smyahaṃ sadā

Translation

จงฟังถ้อยคำที่องค์พระผู้เป็นเจ้าเคยตรัสไว้แต่ก่อน; เราจักบอกว่าใครคือผู้ควรรับอย่างแท้จริง ผู้ใดที่รักใคร่บรรดาภักตะแห่งภควาน ผู้นั้นเราย่อมเป็นผู้รับใช้ตลอดกาล

Word by Word

• purā: formerly; earlier
• purā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• devena: by the god
• devena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• kathitam: told; narrated
• kathitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kathita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kath (धातु) ‘to tell’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle)

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• pātram: the worthy recipient; proper person
• pātram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vadāmi: I tell; I speak
• vadāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vad (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aham (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• priyāḥ: dear; beloved
• priyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• bhāgavatāḥ: Bhāgavatas; devotees
• bhāgavatāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāgavata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• yeṣām: of whom
• yeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; तद्-प्रत्यय (correlative)

• dāsaḥ: servant
• dāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• asmi: am
• asmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aham (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• sadā: always
• sadā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: नित्यत्ववाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Viṣṇu (deduced from first-person and Dvārakā Māhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble speaker repeats the Lord’s earlier declaration; he points to a devotee-community; a householder offers gifts to one who honors devotees; the narrator adopts a servant posture toward such a person.

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān
• Bhāgavata (devotees)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service to and love for Bhagavān’s devotees is presented as a supreme marker of spiritual worthiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching appears within the Dvārakā Māhātmya, reinforcing Dvārakā as a bhakti-centered sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A dharmic criterion is given: treat bhāgavatas as dear; such conduct makes one a fit recipient and beloved in the Lord’s regard.