Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

सर्गे च रजसा पृक्तः सत्त्वस्थः परिपालने । प्रतिसर्गे तमोयुक्तः सोऽहं देवि त्रिधा स्थितः

Transliteration

sarge ca rajasā pṛktaḥ sattvasthaḥ paripālane | pratisarge tamoyuktaḥ so'haṃ devi tridhā sthitaḥ

Translation

在创造之时，我与罗阇斯相应；在护持之时，我安住于萨埵；在再造与收摄之时，我与昏暗之性（怛摩斯）相合——因此，噢女神，我以三重方式而住。

Word by Word

• sarge: in creation
• sarge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक निपात (conjunction)

• rajasā: with rajas (activity)
• rajasā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rajas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• pṛktaḥ: mixed; associated
• pṛktaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√pṛc (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• sattva-sthaḥ: abiding in sattva
• sattva-sthaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (प्रातिपदिक; √sthā-निष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (situated in sattva)

• paripālane: in protection (maintenance)
• paripālane: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paripālana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• pratisarge: in re-creation; secondary creation
• pratisarge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratisarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• tamo-yuktaḥ: endowed with tamas
• tamo-yuktaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक) + yukta (प्रातिपदिक; √yuj-क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (joined with tamas)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• tridhā: in threefold manner
• tridhā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tridhā (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: in three ways)

• sthitaḥ: situated; established
• sthitaḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Maheśvara) speaking to Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Tripartite cosmic panel: creation in red-gold (rajas), preservation in luminous white-green (sattva), withdrawal in deep indigo (tamas); Śiva stands central, unifying all three as one being.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Guṇas (sattva-rajas-tamas)
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The one Lord operates through the three guṇas to sustain the cosmos, teaching devotees to see divine governance within nature’s qualities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, in whose Māhātmya Śiva’s cosmic functions are explained to deepen pilgrimage faith.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse provides metaphysical context rather than a vrata or dāna instruction.