Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

गोपायनं यः कुरुते जगतः सार्वलौकिकम् । स कथं भगवान्विष्णुः प्रभासक्षेत्रमाश्रितः

Transliteration

gopāyanaṃ yaḥ kurute jagataḥ sārvalaukikam | sa kathaṃ bhagavānviṣṇuḥ prabhāsakṣetramāśritaḥ

Translation

جو ساری دنیا کی ہمہ گیر حفاظت کرتا ہے، وہ بھگوان وِشنو پرَبھاس کے مقدس کھیتر میں پناہ گزیں ہوا—یہ کیسے کہا جا سکتا ہے؟

Word by Word

• गोपायनम्: protection, safeguarding
• गोपायनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपायन (प्रातिपदिक; √गुप्/√गोपाय् अर्थे ‘रक्षण’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Relative pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कुरुते: does, performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person, Singular (Ātmanepada)

• जगतः: of the world
• जगतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• सार्वलौकिकम्: universal; pertaining to all worlds
• सार्वलौकिकम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + लौकिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वेषु लोकेषु भवम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Tatpurusha, Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण — Interrogative adverb

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विष्णुः: Viṣṇu
• विष्णुः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रभासक्षेत्रम्: the Prabhāsa sacred field
• प्रभासक्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (प्रभासस्य क्षेत्रम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Tatpurusha, Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• आश्रितः: resorted to; took refuge in
• आश्रितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√श्रि (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participle used as finite sense, Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Unspecified (within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya; a questioning interlocutor addressing a Śaiva authority, indicated by vocatives like ‘Pārvatīpate’ in nearby verses)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A reverent question highlights the paradox: Viṣṇu, universal guardian, is described as ‘taking refuge’ in Prabhāsa. The scene can show Viṣṇu near a coastal shrine with devotees seeking protection.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the cosmic Protector is spoken of in relation to a tīrtha to magnify the tīrtha’s sanctity and the depth of divine līlā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsa), a major sacred region praised in the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a doctrinal question framed to highlight the māhātmya of Prabhāsa.