Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

तस्माद्यच्चाधिकं प्रोक्तं क्षेत्रं वस्त्रापथं त्वया । शृण्वंत्या च मया पूर्वं न पृष्टं कारणं तदा

Transliteration

tasmādyaccādhikaṃ proktaṃ kṣetraṃ vastrāpathaṃ tvayā | śṛṇvaṃtyā ca mayā pūrvaṃ na pṛṣṭaṃ kāraṇaṃ tadā

Translation

ฉะนั้น เมื่อท่านประกาศว่าวัสตราปถะเป็นกษेत्रที่ยิ่งประเสริฐกว่านั้น ข้าพเจ้าแม้ได้ฟังมาก่อน ก็หาได้ทูลถามเหตุผลในกาลนั้นไม่

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore / from that
• tasmāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे ‘therefore/from that’

• yat: which (that)
• yat: Sambandha (Relative connector)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• adhikam: additional, more
• adhikam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (of yat/proktam)

• proktam: said, declared
• proktam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘said/declared’

• kṣetram: the sacred field/place
• kṣetram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• vastrāpatham: Vastrāpatha (name of the place)
• vastrāpatham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vastrāpatha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vastrāṇām āpathaḥ → vastrāpathaḥ)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• śṛṇvantyā: while (I was) listening
• śṛṇvantyā: Kāla/Avadhāraṇa (Circumstantial: while)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘while listening’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• mayā: by me / I
• mayā: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक सर्वनाम)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• pūrvam: previously
• pūrvam: Kāla (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrva (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: formerly/before)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• pṛṣṭam: asked
• pṛṣṭam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prach (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘asked’

• kāraṇam: reason, cause
• kāraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: then)

Speaker

Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciple, having listened earlier, now bows and asks the reason for Vastrāpatha’s exceptional status; behind them, a map-like vision of Prabhāsa with a highlighted sacred spot.

Characters & Entities

• Vastrāpatha Kṣetra
• Prabhāsa (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual geography invites inquiry: beyond listing tīrthas, one should seek the underlying cause of a place’s liberating power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha Kṣetra, described as ‘more excellent’ within the Prabhāsa sacred complex.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a narrative pivot from description to theological explanation (kāraṇa).