Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । कथं जरामनुप्राप्तो नारदो मुनिपुंगवः । कथमाराधितः सूर्य एतन्मे वद शंकर

Transliteration

devyuvāca | kathaṃ jarāmanuprāpto nārado munipuṃgavaḥ | kathamārādhitaḥ sūrya etanme vada śaṃkara

Translation

女神说道：“那罗陀，这位诸仙之最，怎会遭受衰老之苦？太阳神又是如何被礼拜的？请告诉我，噢商羯罗。”

Word by Word

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

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

• जराम्: old age
• जराम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• अनुप्राप्तः: having attained; having come upon
• अनुप्राप्तः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनु-प्र-आप् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• मुनिपुंगवः: best of sages
• मुनिपुंगवः: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + पुंगव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—मुनीनां पुंगवः (best of sages)

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण

• आराधितः: was worshipped
• आराधितः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-राध् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सूर्यः: the Sun
• सूर्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• मे: to me; for me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन (Genitive/Dative singular enclitic)

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• शंकर: O Śaṅkara
• शंकर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (frame); narrative leads toward Sūrya-upāsanā connected with Prabhāsa/Dvārakā region

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaṅkara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī questions Śaṅkara in a calm, intimate dialogue setting, initiating the tale of Nārada’s old age and Sūrya worship; the atmosphere is contemplative, with subtle cosmic gravitas.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Nārada
• Sūrya
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred tīrtha benefits are grounded in narrative causality; the Purāṇa invites inquiry to reveal the dharma behind the miracle.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The question points to the Nārada-Āditya tīrtha narrative within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it introduces the explanation of Sūrya-ārādhana (Sun worship).