Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । आश्चर्यं मम देवेश कपिलषष्ठ्या महेश्वर । विधानं श्रोतुमिच्छामि दानमन्त्रादि पूर्वकम्

Transliteration

devyuvāca | āścaryaṃ mama deveśa kapilaṣaṣṭhyā maheśvara | vidhānaṃ śrotumicchāmi dānamantrādi pūrvakam

Translation

女神说道：“噢诸天之主，噢大自在天（Maheśvara），此‘迦毗罗·萨湿提’于我实为奇妙。我愿聆听其仪轨次第——先从布施之法与诸咒语说起。”

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• आश्चर्यम्: wonderful! / a marvel
• आश्चर्यम्: Karma (Utterance content/वाक्यार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्चर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Nominative/Accusative singular (exclamatory)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive singular (pronoun)

• देवेश: O Lord of gods
• देवेश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन — Vocative singular

• कपिलषष्ठ्याः: of Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī
• कपिलषष्ठ्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिला + षष्ठी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive singular; ‘of Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī’

• महेश्वर: O Maheshvara
• महेश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन — Vocative singular

• विधानम्: procedure, rite
• विधानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• श्रोतुम्: to hear
• श्रोतुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु) + तुमुन्
• Form: कृदन्त (तुमुन्-प्रत्यय), infinitive; प्रयोजनार्थक (purpose)

• इच्छामि: I wish
• इच्छामि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √इष्/इच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• दानमन्त्रादि: gift, mantras, etc.
• दानमन्त्रादि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान + मन्त्र + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (‘दानं च मन्त्रः च आदि च’)

• पूर्वकम्: preceded by, along with
• पूर्वकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (विधानम्) — ‘preceded by/along with’

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī (Prabhāsa observance)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śiva (Devēśa/Maheśvara)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, seated beside Śiva in a sacred grove/temple precinct, expresses wonder and requests the full Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī procedure; attendants hold ritual manuals and offering trays, indicating an impending instruction sequence.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Deveśa (Śiva)
• Maheśvara
• Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is to be learned with precision—rites become effective when their vidhi (procedure) and mantras are understood and followed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapileśvara/Kāpila-kṣetra indirectly, as the context of the Kapilā-Ṣaṣṭhī observance praised in this chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A request for the full vrata-vidhi, explicitly including dāna rules and mantra details.