Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

ततो ब्रह्मा महादेवि सर्वलोकपितामहः । ऋत्विजां वरणं चक्रे वेदोक्तविधिना तदा

Transliteration

tato brahmā mahādevi sarvalokapitāmahaḥ | ṛtvijāṃ varaṇaṃ cakre vedoktavidhinā tadā

Translation

Bấy giờ, hỡi Đại Nữ Thần, Brahmā—đấng Tổ phụ của muôn cõi—đã chỉ định các tế sư, đúng theo nghi thức được Veda truyền dạy.

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (thereupon/then)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृपद

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (महा + देवी)

• सर्वलोकपितामहः: the grandsire of all worlds
• सर्वलोकपितामहः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + लोक + पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वेषां लोकानां पितामहः), ब्रह्मणः विशेषण/समानााधिकरण

• ऋत्विजाम्: of the priests
• ऋत्विजाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋत्विज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• वरणम्: selection/choosing
• वरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मपद

• चक्रे: made/did
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → चक्रे
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• वेदोक्तविधिना: by the procedure prescribed in the Veda
• वेदोक्तविधिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + उक्त + विधि (प्रातिपदिक; उक्त = वच् धातु क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (वेदेन उक्तः विधिः), करण

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced); vocative ‘mahādevi’ indicates narration addressed to Devī within the embedded story frame

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, dignified and serene, formally appoints the ṛtviks in the Prabhāsa assembly, gesturing with authority as ritual manuals and sacred implements lie arranged nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Ṛtvij (Vedic priests)
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is safeguarded when sacred actions are performed according to vedokta-vidhi, not personal whim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, portrayed as a locus where cosmic authorities themselves uphold Vedic order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The appointment of ṛtvij priests is to be done according to Veda-prescribed rules (vedokta-vidhi).