Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

अथापरोऽभवत्तत्र तादृग्रूपवयोऽन्वितः । तन्नाम गोत्रो देवेशि ब्राह्मणो वेदपारगः

Transliteration

athāparo'bhavattatra tādṛgrūpavayo'nvitaḥ | tannāma gotro deveśi brāhmaṇo vedapāragaḥ

Translation

Pagkaraan, naroon din ang isa pang Brāhmaṇa, na may kahawig na anyo at kapantay na gulang. O Ginang ng mga diyos, kapareho rin niya ang pangalan at angkan, at siya’y dalubhasa sa mga Veda.

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunctive adverb/अनन्तरार्थक)

• aparaḥ: another (person)
• aparaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: apara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• abhavat: was; came to be
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/देशवाचक)

• tādṛk: such
• tādṛk: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tādṛś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण (तादृश्/तादृक्)

• rūpa: form; appearance
• rūpa: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (in compound)

• vayas: age; youth
• vayas: Sambandha (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vayas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासाङ्ग (in compound)

• anvitaḥ: endowed with
• anvitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anu-√i (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• tat: that
• tat: Sambandha (Naming/निर्देश)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (used adverbially with nāma)

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Sambandha (Naming marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (नामार्थक-निपातः ‘by name’)

• gotraḥ: lineage; clan
• gotraḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gotra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘gotra’ as lineage-name (here used as nominative)

• deveśi: O lady of the gods
• deveśi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva-īśī (प्रातिपदिक; देव + ईशी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः

• brāhmaṇaḥ: a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• vedapāragaḥ: one who has mastered the Vedas
• vedapāragaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: veda-pāraga (प्रातिपदिक; वेद + पारग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः; विशेषण

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara) — continuing narrative to Pārvatī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mathurā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (implied by address ‘deveśi’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two nearly identical brāhmaṇas in Mathurā—same age and bearing—standing near a street or courtyard; one perhaps with signs of poverty, the other composed and prosperous; the viewer senses impending confusion.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī (Deveśī)
• Brāhmaṇa (Veda-pāraga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic narratives highlight how external similarity can conceal inner destiny, preparing the listener for dharmic discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues a Mathurā-based episode within the larger Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it establishes the narrative condition (two similar Brāhmaṇas) for the events to follow.