Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

वर्त्तते तच्छिरो यत्र वंशप्रोतं महावने । सारस्वतस्य शिष्येण कुशलेन निवेदितम्

Transliteration

varttate tacchiro yatra vaṃśaprotaṃ mahāvane | sārasvatasya śiṣyeṇa kuśalena niveditam

Translation

جہاں وہ سر عظیم جنگل میں بانس کے ڈنڈے سے باندھ کر رکھا گیا تھا، یہ خبر سارسوت کے شاگرد کوشل نے بخوبی عرض کی۔

Word by Word

• varttate: is/exists; remains
• varttate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛt (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Determiner/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (समासपूर्वपद-रूप)

• śiraḥ: head
• śiraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Locative-relative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-प्रश्न/यदर्थ (relative adverb)

• vaṃśa: bamboo; lineage
• vaṃśa: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासपूर्वपद)

• protam: strung; threaded
• protam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pru/prav (धातु) + kta (क्त) (प्रोत)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (प्रोत = threaded/strung)

• mahāvane: in the great forest
• mahāvane: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + vana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महच्च तत् वनम्)

• sārasvatasya: of Sārasvata
• sārasvatasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sārasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• śiṣyeṇa: by the disciple
• śiṣyeṇa: Karana/Agent-in-passive (Instrumental/करण; कर्तृ-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• kuśalena: skilled; competent
• kuśalena: Visheshana (Agent-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kuśala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• niveditam: was reported; was informed
• niveditam: Kriya (Passive predicate/क्रियापद)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-vid (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मणि (reported/announced)

Speaker

Narrator voice

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In a dense mahāvana, a severed head is seen fixed to a bamboo staff; a disciple (Kuśala) reports the unsettling discovery to his teacher’s circle, setting a chain of ritual and tīrtha action in motion.

Characters & Entities

• Sārasvata
• Kuśala
• mahāvana
• śiras (head)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge of a tirtha is preserved and authenticated through lineage and reliable testimony (śiṣya reporting to the king/sage).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader glorification remains Vastrāpatha kṣetra in Prabhāsa; this verse locates a key narrative object in the surrounding forest.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it provides logistical/legendary detail supporting the ensuing sacred act and its result.