Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 188

Devanagari script

एवं यावत्कथयति प्रश्नान्सूक्ष्मान्यथोदितान् । तावद्ब्रह्मादिभिर्देवैर्विष्णुस्तत्र ययौ स्वयम्

Transliteration

evaṃ yāvatkathayati praśnānsūkṣmānyathoditān | tāvadbrahmādibhirdevairviṣṇustatra yayau svayam

Translation

ขณะเขากำลังอธิบายปัญหาอันละเอียดลึกซึ้งตามที่ถูกถามไว้อย่างถูกต้องนั้นเอง พระวิษณุเสด็จมาถึงที่นั่นด้วยพระองค์ พร้อมด้วยพระพรหมและเหล่าเทพทั้งหลาย

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — adverb (‘thus’)

• यावत्: while, as long as
• यावत्: Kala (Temporal marker/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — correlative adverb (‘as long as/while’)

• कथयति: tells, narrates
• कथयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Present 3rd sg

• प्रश्नान्: questions
• प्रश्नान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रश्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — Accusative plural

• सूक्ष्मान्: subtle
• सूक्ष्मान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सूक्ष्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — agrees with प्रश्नान्

• यथा: as, according to
• यथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — adverb (‘as/according to’)

• उदितान्: stated, spoken
• उदितान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उदित (कृदन्त; √वद्/√उद्+इ? here ‘said/uttered’ from √वद् in sense ‘spoken’ often as उक्त/उदित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — past passive participle used adjectivally; agrees with प्रश्नान्

• तावत्: then, meanwhile
• तावत्: Kala (Temporal marker/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — correlative adverb (‘then/so long’)

• ब्रह्मादिभिः: by Brahmā and others
• ब्रह्मादिभिः: Sahakari/Karana (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मादि (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्मा + आदि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Instrumental plural (‘by Brahmā and others’)

• देवैः: by the gods
• देवैः: Sahakari/Karana (Accompaniment/सहकारी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन — Instrumental plural

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

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — adverb of place

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्ष/परिपूर्ण भूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect 3rd sg (‘went’)

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Karta-visheshana (Emphasis/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — emphatic adverb (‘himself’)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration; speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A discourse scene: a sage or deity answering subtle questions; suddenly the sky opens and Viṣṇu arrives with Brahmā and a retinue of devas, descending in a radiant aerial chariot above the sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places draw divine attention; when dharma is discussed sincerely, the gods themselves converge to uphold cosmic order.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpathakṣetra within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse sets the narrative scene of divine arrival during a doctrinal discussion.