Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

ततो ब्रह्मा महादेवि सर्वलोकपितामहः । ऋत्विजां वरणं चक्रे वेदोक्तविधिना तदा

Transliteration

tato brahmā mahādevi sarvalokapitāmahaḥ | ṛtvijāṃ varaṇaṃ cakre vedoktavidhinā tadā

Translation

其时，噢大女神，梵天——诸世界之祖父——依吠陀所敕之仪轨，严谨地任命诸祭司。

Word by Word

• ततः: then/thereupon
• ततः: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (thereupon/then)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्तृपद

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (महा + देवी)

• सर्वलोकपितामहः: the grandsire of all worlds
• सर्वलोकपितामहः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + लोक + पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वेषां लोकानां पितामहः), ब्रह्मणः विशेषण/समानााधिकरण

• ऋत्विजाम्: of the priests
• ऋत्विजाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋत्विज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• वरणम्: selection/choosing
• वरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मपद

• चक्रे: made/did
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → चक्रे
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• वेदोक्तविधिना: by the procedure prescribed in the Veda
• वेदोक्तविधिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + उक्त + विधि (प्रातिपदिक; उक्त = वच् धातु क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (वेदेन उक्तः विधिः), करण

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriyavisheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced); vocative ‘mahādevi’ indicates narration addressed to Devī within the embedded story frame

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, dignified and serene, formally appoints the ṛtviks in the Prabhāsa assembly, gesturing with authority as ritual manuals and sacred implements lie arranged nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Ṛtvij (Vedic priests)
• Veda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is safeguarded when sacred actions are performed according to vedokta-vidhi, not personal whim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, portrayed as a locus where cosmic authorities themselves uphold Vedic order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The appointment of ṛtvij priests is to be done according to Veda-prescribed rules (vedokta-vidhi).