Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । बालरूपीति यत्प्रोक्तमुन्नतं तत्कथं वद । स्थानेष्वन्येषु सर्वत्र वृद्धरूपी पितामहः

Transliteration

devyuvāca | bālarūpīti yatproktamunnataṃ tatkathaṃ vada | sthāneṣvanyeṣu sarvatra vṛddharūpī pitāmahaḥ

Translation

พระเทวีตรัสว่า: ที่พระองค์ตรัสว่า (พระพรหม) สถิตเป็นรูปกุมาร ณ อุนนตสถานะนั้น เป็นอย่างไร ขอจงบอกเถิด เพราะในสถานอื่นทั้งปวง ปิตามหะพรหมมักปรากฏเป็นรูปชรา

Word by Word

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• बालरूपी: child-formed
• बालरूपी: Karma (Object complement/विशेष्य-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (बालं रूपं यस्य)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात), उद्धरण-चिह्न

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अत्र कर्मरूपे (that which)

• प्रोक्तम्: was said
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया-विशेष)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (Past Passive Participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘said/declared’

• उन्नतम्: lofty / elevated
• उन्नतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उन्नत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (यत्/तत्)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अन्वयः—‘तत् ... कथं’

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण)

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• स्थानेषु: in places
• स्थानेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• अन्येषु: other
• अन्येषु: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (स्थानेषु)

• सर्वत्र: everywhere
• सर्वत्र: Desha-adhikarana (Locative adverbial/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण)

• वृद्धरूपी: having an aged form
• वृद्धरूपी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (वृद्धं रूपं यस्य) विशेषणम् (पितामहः)

• पितामहः: Grandfather (Brahmā)
• पितामहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnata-sthāna (Bāla-Brahmā)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, poised and inquisitive, questions Īśvara about the child-form of Brahmā at Unnata-sthāna, contrasting it with the common aged depiction of Pitāmaha elsewhere.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Unnata-sthāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places can reveal unique divine manifestations; inquiry and listening (śravaṇa) are part of understanding māhātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Unnata-sthāna in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, noted for a distinctive form of Brahmā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse frames a theological question about the deity’s form at the site.