Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

प्रभावती विशालाक्षी गोपाला गोनसा तथा । अप्सुजाता बृहद्दंडी कालिका बहुपुत्रका

Transliteration

prabhāvatī viśālākṣī gopālā gonasā tathā | apsujātā bṛhaddaṃḍī kālikā bahuputrakā

Translation

“（她们是）普拉婆伐蒂；大眼的毗舍罗阿克希；戈帕拉与戈那萨；阿普苏阇塔——生于水者；持大杖的布哩哈达丹迪；迦利迦；以及多子之母——婆呼补特罗迦。”

Word by Word

• प्रभावती: Prabhāvatī
• प्रभावती: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाववत्/प्रभावती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; नाम (proper name)

• विशालाक्षी: Wide-eyed (Viśālākṣī)
• विशालाक्षी: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाल (प्रातिपदिक) + अक्षी/अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहिः (विशाले अक्षिणी यस्याः सा = ‘she who has large eyes’)

• गोपाला: Gopālā
• गोपाला: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; नाम

• गोनसा: Gonasā
• गोनसा: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोनसा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; नाम

• तथा: also
• तथा: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/तुल्यताबोधक

• अप्सुजाता: Born in the waters (Apsujātā)
• अप्सुजाता: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्सु (अप्, सप्तमी-बहुवचन) + जाता (जन् धातु, क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; समासः—सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (अप्सु जाता = ‘born in the waters’)

• बृहद्दंडी: Great-staffed (Bṛhaddaṇḍī)
• बृहद्दंडी: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बृहत् (प्रातिपदिक) + दण्डी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (बृहन् दण्डः यस्याः/या दण्डिनी = ‘she with a great staff’)

• कालिका: Kālikā
• कालिका: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कालिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; नाम

• बहुपुत्रका: Having many children (Bahuputrakā)
• बहुपुत्रका: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + पुत्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन; समासः—बहुव्रीहिः (बहवः पुत्रकाः यस्याः सा = ‘she who has many sons/children’)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Phālguna (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence-portrait of named goddesses: Prabhāvatī, Viśālākṣī, Gopālā, Gonāsā, Apsujātā, Bṛhaddaṇḍī, Kālikā, Bahuputrakā—each shown with a defining attribute (radiance, wide eyes, pastoral care, watery birth, great staff, dark fierce aspect, many children).

Characters & Entities

• Mātṛs (Mother-goddesses)
• Viśālākṣī
• Kālikā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld through the many protective powers of the Divine Mother, who manifests in varied names and functions to guard beings and sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it catalogues Mother-goddess forms within the Kaumārikā narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; the verse is a litany of names (nāma-smaraṇa style) rather than a vrata or dāna instruction.