Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

स दृष्ट्वा सिंधुनाऽश्वास्यमानां विश्वस्य मातरम् । अवतीर्य श्रुतकथो बोधयामास नारदः

Transliteration

sa dṛṣṭvā siṃdhunā'śvāsyamānāṃ viśvasya mātaram | avatīrya śrutakatho bodhayāmāsa nāradaḥ

Translation

他见大海正在抚慰宇宙之母，那罗陀便降下；既闻其事，遂开始劝慰启发于她。

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (कर्ता), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्तः (Gerund/absolutive), 'having seen'

• सिन्धुना: by the ocean
• सिन्धुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिन्धु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (करण), एकवचनम्

• आश्वास्यमानाम्: being comforted
• आश्वास्यमानाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+श्वस् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्तः (शानच्-प्रत्यय/Present passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि—'being consoled'

• विश्वस्य: of the universe
• विश्वस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (सम्बन्ध), एकवचनम्

• मातरम्: mother
• मातरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्

• अवतीर्य: having descended
• अवतीर्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव+तॄ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्तः (Gerund), उपसर्गः—अव; 'having descended'

• श्रुत-कथः: one who had heard the account
• श्रुत-कथः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + कथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समासः—बहुव्रीहिः (श्रुता कथा येन सः)

• बोधयामास: informed, made understand
• बोधयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: बुध् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (परिपूर्णभूत/Perfect; periphrastic), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; णिच् (causative) — बोधयति; परस्मैपदम्

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (कर्ता), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator in Dvārakā Māhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra narrative ambit)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (World-Mother) as immediate listener; broader audience as pilgrims/hearers of māhātmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the seashore, the Ocean personified consoles the World-Mother; Nārada descends from the sky, vīṇā in hand, attentive after hearing the account, preparing to counsel.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Ocean (siṃdhu)
• Rukmiṇī (Mother of the universe, honorific)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sages intervene to restore steadiness (dhairya) through spiritual understanding, especially when minds are shaken by grief.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is upheld as a sacred arena where cosmic powers and divine sages participate in the Lord’s līlā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the focus is on instruction and consolation grounded in theology.