Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

पितरस्तु पुरा सर्वे दिव्यक्षेत्रं समागताः । प्रभासे तपसा युक्ताः स्थिता वर्षगणान्बहून्

Transliteration

pitarastu purā sarve divyakṣetraṃ samāgatāḥ | prabhāse tapasā yuktāḥ sthitā varṣagaṇānbahūn

Translation

Thuở xưa, tất cả các Pitṛ đều hội tụ về thánh địa nhiệm mầu ấy. Tại Prabhāsa, các ngài an trú suốt nhiều năm, chuyên tâm tu khổ hạnh (tapas).

Word by Word

• pitaraḥ: the Pitṛs (ancestors)
• pitaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• tu: indeed; but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोध (particle: but/indeed)

• purā: formerly
• purā: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• sarve: all
• sarve: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying pitaraḥ)

• divyakṣetram: the divine sacred field
• divyakṣetram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: divya-kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक; दिव्य + क्षेत्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (destination)

• samāgatāḥ: having come; arrived
• samāgatāḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कर्तरि-प्रयोगे (used predicatively with pitaraḥ)

• prabhāse: at Prabhāsa
• prabhāse: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

• tapasā: by austerity
• tapasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करणम्

• yuktāḥ: engaged; endowed
• yuktāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yuj (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (connected/engaged)

• sthitāḥ: remained; stayed
• sthitāḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-भावे/वाक्य-क्रिया (stood/remained)

• varṣagaṇān: groups of years; many years
• varṣagaṇān: Karma (Extent/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa-gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक; वर्ष + गण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; कालपरिमाणे कर्म (extent of time)

• bahūn: many
• bahūn: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying varṣagaṇān)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continuing narration to Mahādevī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous coastal sacred landscape of Prabhāsa with gathered Pitṛs—serene, austere ancestral figures—engaged in prolonged tapas, seated in rows facing a sanctified spot, with subtle divine radiance over the kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prabhāsa is presented as a timeless ascetic field where even the Pitṛs performed sustained tapas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra as the divine field where the Pitṛs assembled.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it narrates the Pitṛs’ austerities as the sacred background.