Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मोवाच । पुष्करेऽहं सुरश्रेष्ठो गयायां प्रपितामहः । कान्यकुब्जे वेदगर्भो भृगुक्षेत्रे चतुर्मुखः

Transliteration

brahmovāca | puṣkare'haṃ suraśreṣṭho gayāyāṃ prapitāmahaḥ | kānyakubje vedagarbho bhṛgukṣetre caturmukhaḥ

Translation

พระพรหมตรัสว่า: ณ ปุษกร ข้าพเจ้าเป็นที่รู้จักนามว่า สุรเศรษฐะ; ณ คยา เป็น ปรปิตามหะ. ณ กานยกุบชะ ข้าพเจ้าเป็น เวทครรภะ และ ณ ภฤคุเกษตร ข้าพเจ้าเป็น จตุรมุขะ

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• पुष्करे: in Puṣkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

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

• सुरश्रेष्ठः: best of the gods
• सुरश्रेष्ठः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुर + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक); श्रेष्ठ (कृदन्त/विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सुराणां श्रेष्ठः)

• गयायाम्: in Gayā
• गयायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• प्रपितामहः: great-grandfather (ancestor)
• प्रपितामहः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रपितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कान्यकुब्जे: in Kānyakubja (Kanyakubja)
• कान्यकुब्जे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कान्यकुब्ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• वेदगर्भः: one whose essence is the Veda
• वेदगर्भः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वेदस्य गर्भः)

• भृगुक्षेत्रे: in Bhṛgu-kṣetra
• भृगुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृगु + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भृगोः क्षेत्रम्)

• चतुर्मुखः: four-faced
• चतुर्मुखः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (यस्य चत्वारि मुखानि सः)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara; Gayā; Kānyakubja; Bhṛgu-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Implied) Viṣṇu or the inquiring speaker addressing Pitāmaha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā speaks while four vignette panels show: Puṣkara lake with Brahmā shrine; Gayā riverbank with piṇḍa offerings; Kānyakubja with Vedic scholars; Bhṛgu-kṣetra with an ancient āśrama by a river/sea edge.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Puṣkara
• Gayā
• Kānyakubja
• Bhṛgu-kṣetra
• Suraśreṣṭha
• Prapitāmaha
• Vedagarbha
• Caturmukha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa teaches that one deity is approached through distinct names and aspects aligned with particular sacred landscapes.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara and Gayā are directly praised, along with Kānyakubja and Bhṛgu-kṣetra as seats of Brahmā’s presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, worship/meditation on Brahmā using the locally-revealed name (e.g., Vedagarbha at Kānyakubja) is recommended.