Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

सरस्वती पुण्यतोया ब्रह्मलोकात्प्रयात्युत । प्लावयिष्यंति देहांगं मया सह सुसंगता

Transliteration

sarasvatī puṇyatoyā brahmalokātprayātyuta | plāvayiṣyaṃti dehāṃgaṃ mayā saha susaṃgatā

Translation

Sarasvatī, deren Wasser heilig sind, wird wahrlich aus der Brahmaloka hervorgehen; in harmonischer Vereinigung mit mir wird sie die Glieder des Leibes baden und überströmen zur Reinigung.

Word by Word

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

• पुण्यतोया: having holy water
• पुण्यतोया: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य + तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• ब्रह्मलोकात्: from Brahmaloka
• ब्रह्मलोकात्: Apadana (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• प्रयाति: goes forth/departs
• प्रयाति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• उत: and/also/indeed
• उत: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/उत्कर्षार्थक

• प्लावयिष्यन्ति: they will cause to bathe/flood
• प्लावयिष्यन्ति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्लु (धातु) caus. प्लावय + इष्य (भविष्यत्)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• देहाङ्गम्: the body-limb(s) / body
• देहाङ्गम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• मया: by/with me
• मया: Sahakaraka/Instrument (करण/सह)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• सह: with
• सह: Saha (सह)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्ग/अव्यय; सहार्थक (with)

• सुसंगताः: well-associated/closely united
• सुसंगताः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग) + संगत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √गम्/सङ्गम्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (स्त्री/पुं) संदर्भानुसार—यहाँ कर्तृसमूहविशेषण

Speaker

Viṣṇu (continuation of the discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī-tīrtha (conceptual/hidden/manifest)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed interlocutor (later explicitly ‘asura-śreṣṭha’ in v.58; here implicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous river-goddess Sarasvatī descends from a celestial realm (Brahmaloka), her stream flowing toward a devotee; the water visibly ‘floods’ and purifies the limbs, with lotuses and Vedic symbols in the current.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Brahmaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy waters—personified as Sarasvatī—are instruments of purification, linking cosmic realms (Brahmaloka) to earthly tīrtha power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarasvatī is invoked within the Dharmāraṇya tīrtha narrative, emphasizing the sanctity of the locale through her presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied snāna (ritual bathing) and purification through contact with sacred waters.