Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

तत्रैव संस्थितं पश्येद्भूधरंनाम नामतः । उद्धृत्य पृथिवीं यस्माद्दंष्ट्राग्रेण दधार सः

Transliteration

tatraiva saṃsthitaṃ paśyedbhūdharaṃnāma nāmataḥ | uddhṛtya pṛthivīṃ yasmāddaṃṣṭrāgreṇa dadhāra saḥ

Translation

وہیں ‘بھودھر’ کے نام سے معروف مقدس جلوہ کا دیدار کرنا چاہیے؛ کیونکہ اسی نے زمین کو اٹھا کر اپنے دانت کے نوک پر تھام رکھا تھا۔

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• संस्थितम्: standing/placed
• संस्थितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘standing/placed’

• पश्येत्: should see
• पश्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भूधरम्: Bhūdhara (the earth-bearer/mountain)
• भूधरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक) + धर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (भूṃ धरति इति)

• नाम: named
• नाम: Sambandha (Naming/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नामनिर्देशक (‘named’)

• नामतः: by name
• नामतः: Sambandha (Specification/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नामन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) = ‘by name/as to name’

• उद्धृत्य: having lifted
• उद्धृत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्-हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund) = ‘having lifted up’

• पृथिवीम्: the earth
• पृथिवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• यस्मात्: because/from whom
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• दंष्ट्रा-अग्रेण: with the tip of (his) tusk
• दंष्ट्रा-अग्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दंष्ट्रा (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दंष्ट्रायाः अग्रेण)

• दधार: held/bore
• दधार: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhūdhara (Vārāha-smṛti-sthāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi assembly / tīrtha-inquirer (frame implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred spot where the pilgrim ‘beholds’ Bhūdhara: Vārāha stands colossal, Earth-goddess (Bhū-devī) poised on his tusk-tip; waves of the cosmic ocean recede as land emerges.

Characters & Entities

• Bhūdhara
• Pṛthivī (Earth)
• Varāha (implied by tusk-lifting motif)
• Devikā (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is sanctified by remembrance of divine cosmic protection—here, the Earth’s rescue associated with Varāha/Bhūdhara.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Bhūdhara presence/site located in the Devikā-taṭa area within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is darśana: “one should behold/visit” the Bhūdhara site.