Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 159

Devanagari script

आमपात्रे पुनर्दुग्धा त्वंतर्द्धानमियं मही । वत्सं वैश्रवणं कृत्वा यक्षपुण्यजनैस्तथा

Transliteration

āmapātre punardugdhā tvaṃtarddhānamiyaṃ mahī | vatsaṃ vaiśravaṇaṃ kṛtvā yakṣapuṇyajanaistathā

Translation

پھر اس زمین کو ‘اَنتَردھان’ یعنی غائب ہونے کی صفت کے ساتھ کچی مٹی کے برتن میں دوہا گیا؛ ویشروَن (کُبیر) کو بچھڑا بنا کر، یَکشوں اور پُنیہ جَنوں نے بھی یہ دوہن کیا۔

Word by Word

• आमपात्रे: in an unbaked vessel
• आमपात्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आम (प्रातिपदिक) + पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (आम-पात्र), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• दुग्धा: was milked
• दुग्धा: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रियाविशेषण-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुह् (धातु) → दुग्ध (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular), उत्तम-पुरुषार्थक सर्वनाम

• अन्तर्धानम्: disappearance; concealment
• अन्तर्धानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर्धान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• इयम्: this
• इयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• मही: earth
• मही: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वत्सम्: calf
• वत्सम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वत्स (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• वैश्रवणम्: Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera)
• वैश्रवणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैश्रवण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• यक्षपुण्यजनैः: by the Yakṣas and Puṇyajanas
• यक्षपुण्यजनैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent group/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्यजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (यक्ष + पुण्यजन), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तथा: thus; likewise
• तथा: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (rishis/disciples in frame typical of mahatmyas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mythic tableau: the Earth as a cow being milked into an unbaked clay pot; Kubera/Vaiśravaṇa as the calf; Yakṣas and Puṇyajanas as attendants amid jewel-laden groves, with a subtle aura of ‘vanishing’ rising like mist from the milk-stream.

Characters & Entities

• Mahī (Earth)
• Vaiśravaṇa (Kubera)
• Yakṣa
• Puṇyajana
• Antardhāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Different communities draw different ‘essences’ from the world; here, Yakṣa-associated powers like antardhāna are portrayed as their characteristic attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa is the māhātmya setting; the cosmic episode functions as a sacred-context narrative within that pilgrimage section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse describes mythic extraction (duhana) rather than prescribing a sādhana.