Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । पूर्वेषामुक्तदेवानां माहात्म्यं कथितं त्वया । प्रभासे बालरूपीति यत्प्रोक्तं तत्कथं वचः

Transliteration

devyuvāca | pūrveṣāmuktadevānāṃ māhātmyaṃ kathitaṃ tvayā | prabhāse bālarūpīti yatproktaṃ tatkathaṃ vacaḥ

Translation

女神说道：你已讲述先前所说诸神的伟大功德。然而在普拉婆娑，你说毗多摩诃“现为童子之形”——此语当作何解？

Word by Word

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

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

• पूर्वेषाम्: of the former/earlier
• पूर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; विशेषण (of ‘devānām’)

• उक्तदेवानाम्: of those whose gods were mentioned / of the mentioned gods
• उक्तदेवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उक्त (कृदन्त; √वच्) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (उक्ताः देवाः येषाम्/उक्तदेवाः)

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness, glory
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• कथितम्: told, narrated
• कथितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘माहात्म्यम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री (सर्वनाम), तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन

• प्रभासे: in Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• बालरूपी: having the form of a child
• बालरूपी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक) + रूपिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (बालः रूपं यस्य/बालरूपी)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/निदर्शनार्थक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• यत्: which (that)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• प्रोक्तम्: said, stated
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘यत्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• वचः: statement, word
• वचः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Bāla-Pitāmaha tradition)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (explicit: ‘Devī uvāca’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, seated in attentive posture, asks a sage/narrator about the paradox of Brahmā appearing as a child at Prabhāsa; behind them, a faint vision of the child-form Pitāmaha near the coastal shrine complex.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Prabhāsa
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places preserve unique divine manifestations; inquiry (praśna) is honored as the doorway to understanding māhātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa, where Pitāmaha (Brahmā) is said to appear in a child-form.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse is a theological question prompting a detailed explanation.