Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

कथयामि समासेन तदुत्पत्तिं शृणु प्रिये । जरासंधभयाद्देवि विष्णुः परिजनैः सह

Transliteration

kathayāmi samāsena tadutpattiṃ śṛṇu priye | jarāsaṃdhabhayāddevi viṣṇuḥ parijanaiḥ saha

Translation

เราจักเล่าโดยย่อถึงกำเนิดของนาง—จงฟังเถิดนะที่รัก โอ้เทวี ด้วยความหวาดกลัวต่อชราสันธะ พระวิษณุพร้อมด้วยบริวาร…

Word by Word

• कथयामि: I narrate/tell
• कथयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• समासेन: briefly, in summary
• समासेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; प्रकार/उपायार्थ

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• उत्पत्तिम्: origin, arising
• उत्पत्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्पत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• शृणु: listen
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; प्रिय-शब्दः (address)

• जरासंधभयात्: from fear of Jarāsandha
• जरासंधभयात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरासंध + भय (प्रातिपदिक); जरासंध-भय
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जरासंधस्य भयम्)

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

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• परिजनैः: with attendants
• परिजनैः: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परिजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• सह: together with
• सह: Sahakari (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक-उपपद (postposition meaning 'with', governs तृतीया)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrator addresses Devī intimately, beginning an origin-story: Viṣṇu, with attendants, prepares to move due to Jarāsandha’s threat; the mood is protective and purposeful, with a sense of impending journey.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Viṣṇu
• Jarāsandha
• Saṃnihitā (river, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-glories are woven into sacred history: divine movements in response to dharmic crises become the seeds of holy places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Saṃnihitā tīrtha in Prabhāsakṣetra, whose origin story is about to be narrated.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces an origin narrative (utpatti-kathā).