Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । इत्युक्तस्तु तदा चन्द्रः समुद्रस्य सुतेन वै । प्रहस्योवाच ब्रह्माणं चन्द्रमा लोकसाक्षिणम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | ityuktastu tadā candraḥ samudrasya sutena vai | prahasyovāca brahmāṇaṃ candramā lokasākṣiṇam

Translation

Īśvara phán: Khi ấy, được con trai của Đại Dương thưa hỏi, Candra (Mặt Trăng) mỉm cười và nói với Brahmā—đấng làm chứng cho muôn thế giới.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha-bodhaka (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उद्धरण-समाप्तिसूचक (quotative particle)

• uktaḥ: having been addressed/said to
• uktaḥ: Karta (Logical subject of passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्) → ukta (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग-सूचक (passive sense)

• tu: then/indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (Connector/सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• candraḥ: Candra (Moon)
• candraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• samudrasya: of the ocean
• samudrasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• sutena: by the son
• sutena: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (emphatic particle)

• prahāsya: having laughed
• prahāsya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√has (हस्) → prahāsya (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-समकक्ष अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), ‘having laughed’

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• brahmāṇam: Brahmā
• brahmāṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (ब्रह्मन्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• candramā: the Moon
• candramā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: candramas (चन्द्रमस्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (विशेष रूप: चन्द्रमाः/चन्द्रमा)

• loka: world
• loka: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-समासाङ्ग (as first member of compound)

• sākṣiṇam: witness
• sākṣiṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sākṣin (साक्षिन्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘loka-sākṣiṇam’ as apposition to ‘brahmāṇam’

Speaker

Īśvara (narrator-voice within the text)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Candra, addressed by the Ocean’s son, smiles and turns to speak to four-faced Brahmā, who sits/stands as the solemn witness; the assembly watches quietly.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Candra (Soma)
• Samudra
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred acts at tīrthas proceed under cosmic witness—Brahmā as ‘lokasākṣin’ underscores accountability and sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, the narrative setting for Soma’s subsequent request connected to Someshvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it introduces the dialogue leading to liṅga-pratiṣṭhā and related rites.