Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

तत्र स्नात्वा शुचिर्भूत्वा प्रभासं वीक्ष्य रात्रिपः । यावत्संप्रस्थितोन्यत्र तावदग्रे व्यवस्थितम्

Transliteration

tatra snātvā śucirbhūtvā prabhāsaṃ vīkṣya rātripaḥ | yāvatsaṃprasthitonyatra tāvadagre vyavasthitam

Translation

Dort, nachdem er gebadet und sich gereinigt hatte, schaute der Herr der Nacht auf Prabhāsa. Und als er im Begriff war, anderswohin aufzubrechen, sah er jemanden vor sich stehen.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• शुचिः: pure
• शुचिः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम्—(रात्रिपः)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund)

• प्रभासम्: Prabhāsa
• प्रभासम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वीक्ष्य: having seen
• वीक्ष्य: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वीक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund; irregular form), ‘having seen’

• रात्रिपः: the lord of night (Moon)
• रात्रिपः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक) + प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘रात्रेः पः/पतिः’ (चन्द्रः)

• यावत्: until/as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Temporal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालपरिमाणबोधक (until/as long as)

• संप्रस्थितः: having set out
• संप्रस्थितः: Karta (Subject predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘departed/set out’

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (elsewhere)

• तावत्: so long/then
• तावत्: Sambandha (Correlative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावद्-परिमाण/कालबोधक (so long/then)

• अग्रे: in front/ahead
• अग्रे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (in front/ahead)

• व्यवस्थितम्: was standing/was positioned
• व्यवस्थितम्: Kriya (State/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + अव + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (अत्र) नपुंसक-प्रथमा—‘(किञ्चित्) व्यवस्थितम्’

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Tīrthamāhātmya context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (addressed earlier; continuing frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Prabhāsa’s sacred waters, Soma bathes; his aura brightens slightly. As he prepares to leave, a radiant figure stands before him—an auspicious interruption suggesting a boon, instruction, or the kṣetra’s presiding power manifesting.

Characters & Entities

• Candra (Moon)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Snāna at a holy kṣetra is portrayed as a gateway to purity and providential guidance—right action draws the right encounter.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa is highlighted as the place where bathing and darśana occur.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) and becoming śuci (purified) at Prabhāsa are explicitly mentioned.