Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि सुकन्यासर उतमम् । यत्राश्विनौ निमग्नौ तौ च्यवनेन सहांबिके । समानरूपो ह्यभवच्च्यवनो यत्र सोऽश्विना

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi sukanyāsara utamam | yatrāśvinau nimagnau tau cyavanena sahāṃbike | samānarūpo hyabhavaccyavano yatra so'śvinā

Translation

قال الإيشڤرا: ثمّ، يا مها ديفي، ينبغي الذهاب إلى بحيرة سوكانيا السامية؛ حيث غاص الأشفينان في الماء مع تشيَفانا، يا أمبيكا. وهناك صار تشيَفانا مماثل الهيئة للأشفينين، فتياً متلألئاً مثلَهما.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (ईश्वर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (ततः अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/अनन्तरार्थक क्रियाविशेषण

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (महा) + devī (देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः

• sukanyāsaraḥ: the lake of Sukanyā
• sukanyāsaraḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukanyā (सुकन्या प्रातिपदिक) + saraḥ (सरस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सुकन्यायाः सरः)

• uttamam: excellent, best
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (उत्तम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सरः)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (यत्र अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb)

• aśvinau: the Aśvins (twin gods)
• aśvinau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvin (अश्विन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन

• nimagnau: immersed, submerged
• nimagnau: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nimagna (निमग्न कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √maj मज्ज्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle) विशेषणम् (अश्विनौ)

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन; निर्देशार्थक

• cyavanena: with Cyavana
• cyavanena: Sahakari/Instrument (करण/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cyavana (च्यवन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• saha: together with
• saha: Sahārtha (Association/सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: saha (सह अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सहार्थक उपसर्गसदृश (postposition)

• ambike: O Ambikā
• ambike: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ambikā (अम्बिका प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• samānarūpaḥ: of the same form
• samānarūpaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: samāna (समान) + rūpa (रूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (च्यवनः); तत्पुरुषः (समानं रूपं यस्य)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (हि अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (भू धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• cyavanaḥ: Cyavana
• cyavanaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cyavana (च्यवन प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (यत्र अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-सम्बन्धबोधक

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

• aśvinā: with an Aśvin / by the Aśvins
• aśvinā: Sahakari/Instrument (करण/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvin (अश्विन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; साधन/सहभावे (by/with an Aśvin)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sukanyā-saras / Kanyā-saras

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī / Ambikā (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a luminous lake within Prabhāsa, the twin Aśvins stand radiant as Cyavana emerges youthful from the waters; Devī is addressed as Ambikā while Īśvara narrates the tīrtha’s marvel.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī/Ambikā
• Sukanyā-saraḥ (Sukanyā Lake)
• Aśvins
• Cyavana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred waters linked to ṛṣis and divine physicians (Aśvins) signify renewal—bodily and spiritual—through tīrtha-sevā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sukanyā-saraḥ (Sukanyā Lake), a tīrtha in Prabhāsa Kṣetra associated with Cyavana and the Aśvins.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage instruction: ‘one should go’ to Sukanyā Lake; bathing/immersion is implied by the narrative of the Aśvins and Cyavana.