Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

अथ शक्तित्रयाणां ते रौद्रीणां वच्मि विस्तरम् । इच्छा क्रियाज्ञानशक्त्यस्तिस्रस्ताः परिकीर्त्तिताः

Transliteration

atha śaktitrayāṇāṃ te raudrīṇāṃ vacmi vistaram | icchā kriyājñānaśaktyastisrastāḥ parikīrttitāḥ

Translation

اب میں تمہیں رودر کی قوتوں کے تثلیث کی تفصیل بتاتا ہوں: یہ تین قوتیں مشہور ہیں—اِچھا (ارادہ)، کریا (عمل)، اور گیان (معرفت)۔

Word by Word

• atha: now/then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भार्थक (discourse particle)

• śaktitrayāṇām: of the triad of powers
• śaktitrayāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti-traya (प्रातिपदिक; शक्ति + त्रय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धे (genitive)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• raudrīṇām: of the Raudrī (powers)
• raudrīṇām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: raudrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying śakti-)

• vacmi: I speak/tell
• vacmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• vistaram: the detail/expansion
• vistaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• icchā: will/desire
• icchā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: icchā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• kriyājñānaśaktyaḥ: the powers of action and knowledge
• kriyājñānaśaktyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kriyā-jñāna-śakti (प्रातिपदिक; क्रिया + ज्ञान + शक्ति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (context: list)

• tisraḥ: three
• tisraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक; numeral)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम्

• tāḥ: those
• tāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• parikīrttitāḥ: are proclaimed
• parikīrttitāḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kīrt (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) with परि-उपसर्ग; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मणि भावः

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha region)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim/audience addressed as ‘te’ (you) within the mahatmya discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment in Prabhāsa: the triad of Rudra’s powers is revealed as three luminous feminine presences (Icchā, Kriyā, Jñāna) hovering around a central Somnātha liṅga-mandala, with subtle directional markers of the kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva/Rudra
• Icchā-śakti
• Kriyā-śakti
• Jñāna-śakti
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine reality is expressed through will, action, and knowledge—powers that guide both cosmic order and spiritual practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where these Raudrī śaktis will be described as part of the site’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it introduces a doctrinal exposition of the three śaktis.