Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । साधुसाधु महादेवि सम्यक्प्रश्नविशारदे । शृणुष्वैकमना भूत्वा माहात्म्यं विप्रदैवतम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | sādhusādhu mahādevi samyakpraśnaviśārade | śṛṇuṣvaikamanā bhūtvā māhātmyaṃ vipradaivatam

Translation

อีศวรตรัสว่า: “ดีแล้ว ดีแล้ว โอ้มหาเทวี ผู้ชำนาญในการถามอันถูกต้อง จงฟังด้วยจิตตั้งมั่นถึงมหิมาของพราหมณ์ทั้งหลาย ผู้เป็นรูปแห่งเทวภาวะเอง”

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (the Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• साधु: well! good!
• साधु: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साधु (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रशंसार्थक-निपात/उद्गार (particle of approval)

• साधु: well indeed!
• साधु: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साधु (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्त-प्रशंसा (repeated approval)

• महादेवि: O Mahādevī
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सम्यक्: properly, correctly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• प्रश्नविशारदे: O one skilled in questions
• प्रश्नविशारदे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रश्न + विशारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (प्रश्ने विशारदा)

• शृणुष्व: listen
• शृणुष्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; आत्मनेपद-आदेशरूप ‘शृणुष्व’ (listen!)

• एकमनाः: single-minded
• एकमनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (एकं मनः यस्य)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having become’

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness, sacred glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• विप्रदैवतम्: having the brāhmaṇas as deity / pertaining to brāhmaṇas as divine
• विप्रदैवतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विप्र + दैवत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (विप्राणां दैवतं यत्)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara commends Devī’s questions and instructs her to listen with focused mind to the greatness of brāhmaṇas, described as divine.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Brāhmaṇas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right questioning and attentive listening open the door to understanding dharma—here, the sanctity attributed to Brāhmaṇas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where the ‘māhātmya’ includes how divinity is approached through honoring righteous Brāhmaṇas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Cultivating ekāgratā (single-minded attention) to receive sacred instruction; further ritual guidance follows in subsequent verses.