Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तस्य चेयं परा माया कला शिरसि धारिता । सा शक्तिर्देवदेवस्य विश्वाकारा परा प्रिये । मोहयित्वा तु संतानं संसारयति पार्वति

Transliteration

tasya ceyaṃ parā māyā kalā śirasi dhāritā | sā śaktirdevadevasya viśvākārā parā priye | mohayitvā tu saṃtānaṃ saṃsārayati pārvati

Translation

แห่งสภาวะสูงสุดนั้น นี่คือมายาอันยิ่ง—กะลา—ที่ทรงไว้เหนือเศียร. โอ้ที่รัก ศักติอันประเสริฐของเทพเหนือเทพ ผู้แปรเป็นรูปจักรวาล ทำให้เหล่าบุตรหลงมัวเมา และโอ้ปารวตี ยังให้เวียนว่ายในสังสารวัฏ.

Word by Word

• tasya: of him/its
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक निपात

• iyam: this (she/this)
• iyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• parā: supreme
• parā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• māyā: illusion, divine power
• māyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• kalā: a portion/phase (kalā)
• kalā: Pratijna (Predicate-noun/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (सम्बोधन/वाक्यांशे विधेय), एकवचन

• śirasi: on the head
• śirasi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• dhāritā: borne, held
• dhāritā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √dhṛ (धातु) क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (dhārita)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

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

• śaktiḥ: power, energy
• śaktiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन

• deva-devasya: of the God of gods
• deva-devasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानां देवः)

• viśva-ākārā: having the form of the universe
• viśva-ākārā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक) + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (विश्वस्य आकारः यस्याः)

• parā: supreme
• parā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• priye: O beloved
• priye: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative), एकवचन

• mohayitvā: having deluded
• mohayitvā: Kriya (Gerundial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √muh (धातु) णिच् (causative) + त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त
• Form: अव्यय; णिजन्त-धातोः त्वान्त (causative gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• tu: indeed/then
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• saṃtānam: offspring, progeny
• saṃtānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃtāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• saṃsārayati: causes to transmigrate
• saṃsārayati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√sṛ (धातु) णिच् (causative)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative) परस्मैपद

• pārvati: O Pārvatī
• pārvati: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Pārvatī on the supreme Māyā (kalā) borne upon the head; the universe appears as a projected form, while beings wander in saṃsāra under a veil of delusion.

Characters & Entities

• Māyā
• Kalā
• Devadeva
• Pārvatī
• Saṃsāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The same divine power that manifests the universe can also veil truth; liberation comes by piercing māyā through right knowledge and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra is the Māhātmya setting; its sanctity is underscored by teachings that diagnose bondage and point toward release.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the focus is doctrinal—māyā’s role in saṃsāra.