Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

हरिणी वज्रिणी न्यंकुः कपिला च सरस्वती । पानावगाहनान्नृणां पंचस्रोताः सरस्वती

Transliteration

hariṇī vajriṇī nyaṃkuḥ kapilā ca sarasvatī | pānāvagāhanānnṛṇāṃ paṃcasrotāḥ sarasvatī

Translation

হরিণী, বজ্রিণী, ন্যঙ্কু, কপিলা ও (মূল) সরস্বতী—এইভাবে সরস্বতী পঞ্চস্রোতা হলেন; এদের জল পান ও স্নান করলে মানুষ পবিত্র হয়।

Word by Word

• हरिणी: Hariṇī (name of a stream/river)
• हरिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वज्रिणी: Vajriṇī (name of a stream/river)
• वज्रिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्रिणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• न्यङ्कुः: Nyaṅku (name of a stream/river)
• न्यङ्कुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्यङ्कु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कपिला: Kapilā (name of a stream/river)
• कपिला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī (river)
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पान-अवगाहनात्: from drinking and bathing (therein)
• पान-अवगाहनात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पान (प्रातिपदिक) + अवगाहन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः (pāna- + avagāhana = drinking and bathing/immersion)

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पञ्च-स्रोताः: the five streams
• पञ्च-स्रोताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या/प्रातिपदिक) + स्रोतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः (five streams)

• सरस्वती: (are) Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Adhikarana/Identifier (Apposition/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced for Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcasrotā Sarasvatī (Hariṇī–Vajriṇī–Nyaṅku–Kapilā–Sarasvatī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi-assembly

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Five distinct streams flow across Prabhāsa toward the sea, each subtly personified; pilgrims drink and bathe while priests recite the five names; the waters glow with purificatory light.

Characters & Entities

• Hariṇī
• Vajriṇī
• Nyaṅku
• Kapilā
• Sarasvatī
• Pāna (drinking)
• Avagāhana (bathing)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine compassion becomes accessible through tīrthas: multiple sacred streams are provided so people may purify themselves by simple, sincere acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s Sarasvatī Pañcasrotā—five named streams associated with sages and tīrtha practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pāna (drinking tīrtha-water) and avagāhana/snān (immersion or bathing) are explicitly indicated.