Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

एतच्छ्रुत्वा ततो वाक्यं ब्रह्मणोऽव्यक्तजन्मनः । तत्र स्थितानि तीर्थानि ब्रह्माणमिदमब्रुवन्

Transliteration

etacchrutvā tato vākyaṃ brahmaṇo'vyaktajanmanaḥ | tatra sthitāni tīrthāni brahmāṇamidamabruvan

Translation

Nang marinig ang mga salitang iyon ni Brahmā, na ang pinagmulan ay di-nahahayag, ang mga tīrtha na naroon ay nagsalita nang ganito kay Brahmā.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘एतद्’

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) — ‘श्रुत्वा’ (having heard)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: ततः—क्रम/अपादानार्थक-अव्यय (then/from that)

• vākyam: statement, words
• vākyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā
• brahmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• avyakta-janmanaḥ: whose birth/origin is unmanifest
• avyakta-janmanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avyakta + janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘ब्रह्मणः’ इत्यस्य

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• sthitāni: situated, present
• sthitāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (√sthā धातु; क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) विशेषण—‘तीर्थानि’

• tīrthāni: holy places
• tīrthāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• brahmāṇam: Brahmā (to Brahmā)
• brahmāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• idam: this
• idam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘इदम्’

• abruvan: said, spoke
• abruvan: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकारः (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual: Pulastya continuing the account)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda (contextual)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A mythic assembly where personified tīrthas—radiant, river-like and shrine-bearing—address Brahmā after hearing his decree; the landscape hints at a sacred mountain horizon.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Tīrthas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even sacred institutions seek divine guidance in times of decline, emphasizing dependence on higher dharma and divine order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The collective of tīrthas is introduced; the passage moves toward Arbuda as their enduring abode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it transitions into a question-and-answer about where tīrthas should reside.