Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

मातृवद्रक्षिता देवा वडवानलभीतितः । देवमातेति लोकेऽस्मिं स्ततः सा विबुधैः कृता

Transliteration

mātṛvadrakṣitā devā vaḍavānalabhītitaḥ | devamāteti loke'smiṃ stataḥ sā vibudhaiḥ kṛtā

Translation

พระนางทรงคุ้มครองเหล่าเทวะดุจมารดา ให้พ้นจากความหวาดกลัวต่อวฑวานละ. เพราะเหตุนั้น ในโลกนี้บัณฑิตผู้รู้ทั้งหลายจึงสถาปนาคำสรรเสริญให้พระนางมีนามว่า “เทวมาตา” มารดาแห่งเทวะทั้งปวง

Word by Word

• mātṛ-vat: like a mother
• mātṛ-vat: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + vat (अव्यय/तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक (like a mother)

• rakṣitāḥ: protected
• rakṣitāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rakṣita (कृदन्त; √rakṣ रक्ष्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle: ‘protected’)

• devāḥ: the gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• vaḍavā-anala-bhītitaḥ: from fear of the Vaḍavā fire
• vaḍavā-anala-bhītitaḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vaḍavā (प्रातिपदिक) + anala (प्रातिपदिक) + bhīti (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्-प्रत्यय/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिलन्त (ablatival adverb: ‘from/because of fear’); तत्पुरुष-समास (‘from fear of the Vaḍavā-fire’)

• deva-mātā-iti: as ‘Devamātā’
• deva-mātā-iti: Quotation/Label (इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + iti (अव्यय)
• Form: ‘इति’ सहित उद्धरण; नामनिर्देश (‘as “Devamātā”’)

• loke: in the world
• loke: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• stataḥ: praised
• stataḥ: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: stuta (कृदन्त; √stu स्तु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त; (पाठरूप ‘स्ततः’ = ‘स्तुतः’/‘praised’)

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• vibudhaiḥ: by the wise/learned (gods)
• vibudhaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibudha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• kṛtā: was made/established
• kṛtā: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ कृ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle: ‘made/established’)

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (context likely a Purāṇic narrator continuing the Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devamātā Sarasvatī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Devas, distressed by the threat of Vaḍavānala, take refuge in Devamātā; the Goddess stands or sits as Gaurī-Sarasvatī, calming the fiery terror, her maternal gesture of protection (abhaya/varada) prominent.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Sarasvatī/Gaurī)
• Devas
• Vaḍavānala
• Devamātā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Goddess is revered as the divine mother whose compassion protects even the gods; her maternal power is a refuge from cosmic fear.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the Goddess is celebrated with the title Devamātā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated here; the verse explains the origin of the Goddess’s title and renown.