Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । इत्येवं विलपन्यावच्छोका कुलितमानसः । तावदाकाशसंभूता वागुवाचाशरीरिणी

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | ityevaṃ vilapanyāvacchokā kulitamānasaḥ | tāvadākāśasaṃbhūtā vāguvācāśarīriṇī

Translation

自在天（Īśvara）曰：当他如此哀号，心为忧悲所压之时，忽有无形之声自空中而起，开口说道。

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: the Lord
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) (वचने)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• evam: in this way
• evam: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (manner adverb)

• vilapan: lamenting
• vilapan: Karta (Agent in participial clause/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vilap (धातु √lap, वि-; विलापे) + śatṛ
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle, शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• yāvat: as long as / until
• yāvat: Sambandha (Limit/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक (until/as long as)

• śokāt: from grief
• śokāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śoka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative); एकवचन

• kulita-mānasaḥ: whose mind was agitated
• kulita-mānasaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kulita (कृदन्त; √kul/√kuṭ? 'to be agitated'; क्त) + mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयसमास; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण (vilapan-कर्तृ-विशेषण)

• tāvat: then/just then
• tāvat: Sambandha (Temporal link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावदर्थक (then/just then; correl. with yāvat)

• ākāśa-saṃbhūtā: arisen from the sky
• ākāśa-saṃbhūtā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ākāśa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃbhūta (कृदन्त; √bhū भवने, सम्-; क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष: ākāśe saṃbhūtā); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण (vāk-विशेषण)

• vāk: a voice
• vāk: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• uvāca: spoke
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु) (वचने)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• aśarīriṇī: bodiless
• aśarīriṇī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- (नञ्) + śarīrin (प्रातिपदिक) + ṅīp
• Form: नञ्-तत्पुरुष (negation); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण (vāk-विशेषण)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The lamenting figure looks up; the sky opens with a luminous, formless presence; sound is visualized as radiating script-like waves or light-streams descending.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• aśarīriṇī vāk (bodiless voice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When repentance is sincere, divine guidance arises to direct the seeker toward the right tīrtha and remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The voice will direct the penitent toward Prābhāsika kṣetra and the Sarasvatī there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No rite yet; this verse introduces the divine instruction that follows.