Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

समुद्रोऽपि महत्कृत्वा निजरूपं च भूरिशः । जलजाञ्जीवसंघातान्धृत्वा तीरसमीपतः

Transliteration

samudro'pi mahatkṛtvā nijarūpaṃ ca bhūriśaḥ | jalajāñjīvasaṃghātāndhṛtvā tīrasamīpataḥ

Translation

اور سمندر نے بھی اپنا روپ بہت بڑا کر لیا، اور بے شمار آبی جانداروں کے جھنڈ جمع کر کے انہیں ساحل کے قریب تھامے رکھا۔

Word by Word

• samudraḥ: the Ocean
• samudraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन = Masculine, Nominative singular

• api: also
• api: Samuccaya (Addition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अपि-भाव) = particle ‘also’

• mahat: great (size)
• mahat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter, Accusative singular; कर्मप्रवचनीय-भावे ‘महत्त्वम्’ (object of kṛtvā)

• kṛtvā: having made (it)
• kṛtvā: Pūrvakāla (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) = having made/done

• nija-rūpam: his own form
• nija-rūpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nija (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन = Neuter, Accusative singular; समासः = कर्मधारयः (निजं रूपम्)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) = conjunction

• bhūriśaḥ: greatly, abundantly
• bhūriśaḥ: Prakāra (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūriśas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = adverb; ‘बहुशः/अत्यन्तम्’

• jalajān: water-born creatures
• jalajān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jalaja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन = Masculine, Accusative plural

• jīva-saṃghātān: masses of living beings
• jīva-saṃghātān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīva (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃghāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन = Masculine, Accusative plural; समासः = तत्पुरुषः (जीवानां संघाताः)

• dhṛtvā: having taken/held
• dhṛtvā: Pūrvakāla (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √dhṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) = having held/taken

• tīra-samīpataḥ: from near the shore
• tīra-samīpataḥ: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tīra (प्रातिपदिक) + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + -tas (तसिल्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय = indeclinable adverb ‘from near the shore’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (contextual attribution)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Samudra-tīra)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame typical; not explicit in excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Ocean personified expands to a colossal form near the shore, corralling schools of fish and sea-creatures into dense, swirling masses close to land; the horizon is heavy with omen-like grandeur.

Characters & Entities

• Samudra (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Purāṇic storytelling, even cosmic elements like the Ocean act as agents within dharma-driven narratives, setting the stage for karmic consequence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetra), a famed pilgrimage region celebrated in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it describes narrative preparation near the shore.