Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

दुर्गन्धा भासुरा देवि वहते रसरूपिणी । तस्या रसेन संयुक्तं पृथग्वर्णं हि कर्बुरम्

Transliteration

durgandhā bhāsurā devi vahate rasarūpiṇī | tasyā rasena saṃyuktaṃ pṛthagvarṇaṃ hi karburam

Translation

โอ้เทวี ที่นั่นมีธาราอันส่องประกายไหลไปในรูปแห่งรสะ (rasa—แก่นสาร) บางคราวก็มีกลิ่นเหม็น ครั้นปนด้วยรสะนั้นแล้ว ย่อมกลายเป็นลายด่าง—มีสีต่าง ๆ แยกกันโดยแท้

Word by Word

• दुर्गन्धा: foul-smelling
• दुर्गन्धा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्-गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक; दुर् + गन्ध)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (fem nom sg)

• भासुरा: shining; radiant
• भासुरा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भासुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (fem nom sg)

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

• वहते: flows; proceeds
• वहते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (vahate = flows/carries itself)

• रसरूपिणी: (the water/stream) having the nature/form of essence/juice
• रसरूपिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस-रूपिणी (प्रातिपदिक; रस + रूपिणी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृपद (the one having the form of rasa)

• तस्या: of that (stream)
• तस्या: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive sg)

• रसेन: with/by the essence/juice
• रसेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental sg)

• संयुक्तम्: combined; mixed
• संयुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-युज् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (combined)

• पृथक्: distinctly; separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: separately/distinctly)

• वर्णम्: color
• वर्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• कर्बुरम्: mottled; variegated
• कर्बुरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कर्बुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (variegated/spotted)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rasa-vāhinī (essence-flow) associated with the Prabhāsa kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A shining but slightly noxious stream of essence flows near the kuṇḍa; where it mixes, the ground/water becomes mottled with distinct colors, like mineral marbling under sunlight.

Characters & Entities

• Kuṇḍa (implied)
• Rasa (essence/alchemical fluid)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha can display paradoxical signs—both ordinary and wondrous—yet remains a vessel of divine potency beyond surface appearances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The miraculous kuṇḍa region in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where a radiant ‘rasa’ is said to flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it describes observable properties of the rasa associated with the tīrtha.