Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । भगन्देवदेवेश संसारार्णवतारक । ब्रूहि श्राद्धविधिं पुण्यं विस्तराज्जगतांपते

Transliteration

devyuvāca | bhagandevadeveśa saṃsārārṇavatāraka | brūhi śrāddhavidhiṃ puṇyaṃ vistarājjagatāṃpate

Translation

Nữ Thần thưa rằng: “Ôi Đấng Cát Tường, Chúa tể chư thiên, Đấng đưa người vượt qua biển sinh tử—Ôi Chúa tể muôn loài, xin hãy giảng giải tường tận nghi thức śrāddha thanh tịnh.”

Word by Word

• devī: the Goddess
• devī: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः (fem.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• bhagan: O Blessed Lord
• bhagan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक; संबोधन-रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम् (sing.); भगवन्-शब्दः

• deva-deveśa: O Lord of the gods
• deva-deveśa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deveśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम् (sing.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (devānāṃ īśaḥ)

• saṃsāra-arṇava-tāraka: O savior from the ocean of worldly existence
• saṃsāra-arṇava-tāraka: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक) + arṇava (प्रातिपदिक) + tāraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम् (sing.); तत्पुरुषः (saṃsāra-arṇavāt tārakaḥ)

• brūhi: tell
• brūhi: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपदम्, मध्यमपुरुषः (2nd person), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• śrāddha-vidhim: the rite/procedure of śrāddha
• śrāddha-vidhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (sing.); तत्पुरुषः (śrāddhasya vidhiḥ)

• puṇyam: meritorious; holy
• puṇyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.)/नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम् (sing.); कर्म-विशेषणम्

• vistarāt: in detail; at length
• vistarāt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vistara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.)/नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), पञ्चमी (Ablative/5th), एकवचनम् (sing.); अव्ययीभावेन 'विस्तरेण' अर्थे

• jagatām: of the worlds
• jagatām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• pate: O lord
• pate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचनम् (sing.)

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Kṣetra (Sarasvatī-tīrtha context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, seated with reverence, addresses Mahādeva in a sacred setting near the tīrtha; Mahādeva serene, holding triśūla and ḍamaru, ready to instruct; ritual implements for śrāddha (kuśa, piṇḍa, waterpot) appear nearby as foreshadowing.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ancestral rites are presented as a sacred duty (dharma), worthy of detailed understanding from divine authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Prabhāsa Kṣetra; the immediate verse introduces śrāddha teaching within this māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A request for śrāddha-vidhi (procedure); the prescriptions begin in subsequent verses.