Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

समुद्रोऽपि महत्कृत्वा निजरूपं च भूरिशः । जलजाञ्जीवसंघातान्धृत्वा तीरसमीपतः

Transliteration

samudro'pi mahatkṛtvā nijarūpaṃ ca bhūriśaḥ | jalajāñjīvasaṃghātāndhṛtvā tīrasamīpataḥ

Translation

แม้มหาสมุทรก็ขยายรูปของตนให้ใหญ่ยิ่ง แล้วรวบรวมหมู่สัตว์น้ำเป็นอันมากไว้ และกักไว้ใกล้ฝั่ง

Word by Word

• samudraḥ: the Ocean
• samudraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Masculine, Nominative singular

• api: also
• api: Samuccaya (Addition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अपि-भाव) = particle ‘also’

• mahat: great (size)
• mahat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter, Accusative singular; कर्मप्रवचनीय-भावे ‘महत्त्वम्’ (object of kṛtvā)

• kṛtvā: having made (it)
• kṛtvā: Pūrvakāla (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) = having made/done

• nija-rūpam: his own form
• nija-rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter, Accusative singular; समासः = कर्मधारयः (निजं रूपम्)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) = conjunction

• bhūriśaḥ: greatly, abundantly
• bhūriśaḥ: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūriśas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = adverb; ‘बहुशः/अत्यन्तम्’

• jalajān: water-born creatures
• jalajān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jalaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन = Masculine, Accusative plural

• jīva-saṃghātān: masses of living beings
• jīva-saṃghātān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīva (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃghāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन = Masculine, Accusative plural; समासः = तत्पुरुषः (जीवानां संघाताः)

• dhṛtvā: having taken/held
• dhṛtvā: Pūrvakāla (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √dhṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) = having held/taken

• tīra-samīpataḥ: from near the shore
• tīra-samīpataḥ: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tīra (प्रातिपदिक) + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + -tas (तसिल्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय = indeclinable adverb ‘from near the shore’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Samudra-tīra)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame typical; not explicit in excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Ocean personified expands to a colossal form near the shore, corralling schools of fish and sea-creatures into dense, swirling masses close to land; the horizon is heavy with omen-like grandeur.

Characters & Entities

• Samudra (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Purāṇic storytelling, even cosmic elements like the Ocean act as agents within dharma-driven narratives, setting the stage for karmic consequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetra), a famed pilgrimage region celebrated in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it describes narrative preparation near the shore.