Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

अयोध्या मथुरा माया अवंत्याद्याश्च मुक्तिदाः । श्रीरंगाख्यमनंतं च प्रभासं च विशेषतः

Transliteration

ayodhyā mathurā māyā avaṃtyādyāśca muktidāḥ | śrīraṃgākhyamanaṃtaṃ ca prabhāsaṃ ca viśeṣataḥ

Translation

অযোধ্যা, মথুরা, মায়া (হরিদ্বার) ও অবন্তী প্রভৃতি—সবই মোক্ষদায়িনী; আর অনন্ত নামে শ্রীরঙ্গ এবং বিশেষত প্রভাসও (প্রশস্ত)।

Word by Word

• अयोध्या: Ayodhyā
• अयोध्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयोध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मथुरा: Mathurā
• मथुरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मथुरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• माया: Māyā (name of a city/holy place)
• माया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अवन्ती-आद्याः: Avantī and others
• अवन्ती-आद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवन्ती + आदि (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘आदि’-शब्देन समाहारः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction ‘and’)

• मुक्तिदाः: givers of liberation
• मुक्तिदाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्तिद (प्रातिपदिक; मुक्ति + द)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• श्रीरङ्ग-आख्यम्: called Śrīraṅga
• श्रीरङ्ग-आख्यम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रीरङ्ग + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (named Śrīraṅga)

• अनन्तम्: Ananta (holy place/name)
• अनन्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• प्रभासम्: Prabhāsa (holy place)
• प्रभासम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary map-like tableau: personified sacred cities (Ayodhyā, Mathurā, Haridvāra/Māyā, Avantī, Śrīraṅga/Ananta) appearing as radiant kṣetra-devatās, all oriented toward and ‘yielding precedence’ to Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Ayodhyā
• Mathurā
• Māyā (Haridvāra)
• Avanti (Ujjain)
• Śrīraṅgam (Ananta)
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain kṣetras are famed as liberation-giving; the Purāṇa highlights their sanctity while giving special eminence to Prabhāsa within this khanda.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Multiple mokṣa-giving sites are named, with special emphasis on Prabhāsa (central to the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse is a māhātmya-style enumeration of mokṣa-kṣetras.