Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

प्रह्लाद उवाच । एकार्णवे पुरा भूते नष्टे स्थावर जंगमे । तदा ब्रह्मा समभवद्विष्णोर्नाभिसरोरुहात्

Transliteration

prahlāda uvāca | ekārṇave purā bhūte naṣṭe sthāvara jaṃgame | tadā brahmā samabhavadviṣṇornābhisaroruhāt

Translation

普罗诃罗陀说道：在远古之时，唯有一片宇宙大海，动与不动的一切众生皆已隐没；那时，梵天自毗湿奴脐中所生的莲华而起。

Word by Word

• प्रह्लादः: Prahlāda
• प्रह्लादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रह्लाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• एकार्णवे: in the single ocean (cosmic flood)
• एकार्णवे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + अर्णव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (adverb of time: formerly)

• भूते: when it had become (so)
• भूते: Kala (Time circumstance/काल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) ‘भूत’, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• नष्टे: when (it was) destroyed
• नष्टे: Kala (Time circumstance/काल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP) ‘नष्ट’, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी

• स्थावरे: the immobile (beings)
• स्थावरे: Kala (Time circumstance/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थावर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (collective)

• जङ्गमे: the mobile (beings)
• जङ्गमे: Kala (Time circumstance/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (collective)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (then)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समभवत्: came into being
• समभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• नाभि-सरोरुहात्: from the lotus (arising) from (his) navel
• नाभि-सरोरुहात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाभि + सरोरुह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

Speaker

Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A boundless single ocean under twilight of pralaya; on its waters rests Viṣṇu, from whose navel-lotus Brahmā emerges, newly awakened to creation.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred tīrtha narratives are rooted in cosmic order: creation itself unfolds from the Divine, making holy waters part of that primordial sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly Dvārakā’s Gomātī tīrtha; the verse begins the origin account by setting a cosmic prelude.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a cosmogonic introduction to the forthcoming tīrtha-māhātmya.