Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

हस्तहस्तान्तरे देवि प्रासादाः क्षेत्र मध्यतः । सुवर्णकलशोपेताः पताकाकुलितांबराः । विराजंते तु तत्रस्थाः कीर्तिस्तंभा हरेरिव

Transliteration

hastahastāntare devi prāsādāḥ kṣetra madhyataḥ | suvarṇakalaśopetāḥ patākākulitāṃbarāḥ | virājaṃte tu tatrasthāḥ kīrtistaṃbhā hareriva

Translation

โอ้เทวี ณ ใจกลางเขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์นั้น มีปราสาทตั้งอยู่ห่างกันทุกช่วงมือ ยอดประดับกลศทอง และท้องฟ้าคลาคล่ำด้วยธงสะบัดไหว—ส่องประกายดุจเสาเกียรติยศแห่งพระหริ

Word by Word

• हस्त-हस्त-अन्तरे: in the space between hand and hand (i.e., at short intervals)
• हस्त-हस्त-अन्तरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हस्त (प्रातिपदिक) + हस्त (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (loc. sg.); “हस्तयोः हस्तयोः मध्ये” अर्थे

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (voc. sg.)

• प्रासादाः: palaces, temples
• प्रासादाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (nom. pl.)

• क्षेत्र: of the sacred field
• क्षेत्र: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (gen. sg.)

• मध्यतः: in the middle, from the center
• मध्यतः: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरणार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb); “मध्यात्/मध्ये” अर्थे

• सुवर्ण-कलश-उपेताः: endowed with golden finials/pots
• सुवर्ण-कलश-उपेताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + कलश (प्रातिपदिक) + उपेत (कृदन्त; √इ “to go” उपसर्ग-उप “endowed with”)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त “युक्ताः/समन्विताः”

• पताका-आकुलित-अम्बराः: whose sky/space is filled with banners
• पताका-आकुलित-अम्बराः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पताका (प्रातिपदिक) + आकुलित (कृदन्त; √आकुल् “to fill/confuse”, here “covered”) + अम्बर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; “पताकाभिः आकुलितम् अम्बरं येषाम्” (बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः, परन्तु रूपतः तत्पुरुष-समास-श्रृङ्खला)

• विराजन्ते: they shine
• विराजन्ते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √राज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle: “indeed/but”)

• तत्र-स्थाः: situated there
• तत्र-स्थाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय) + स्थ (कृदन्त; √स्था “to stand”)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; “तत्र स्थिताः”

• कीर्ति-स्तम्भाः: pillars of fame
• कीर्ति-स्तम्भाः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीर्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + स्तम्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• हरेः: of Hari
• हरेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (gen. sg.)

• इव: like
• इव: Upamāna-bodhaka (Simile marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमावाचक (comparative particle)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (kṣetra-madhya prāsāda-samūha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the center of Prabhāsa, palatial temples stand close together, each topped with golden kalaśas; countless flags fill the sky, and the whole precinct gleams like towering pillars of Hari’s fame.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Prāsāda (temples)
• Hari (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy place manifests dharma outwardly: dense temples and sacred symbols reflect inner devotion and the area’s accumulated merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, portrayed as filled with closely spaced temples crowned with golden finials and flags.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse praises the established temple-culture and sacred visibility (patākā, kalaśa) of the kṣetra.