Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्नृपश्रेष्ठ तीर्थं पापप्रणाशनम् । मणिकर्णिकसंज्ञं तु सर्वलोकेषु विश्रुतम्

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | tato gacchennṛpaśreṣṭha tīrthaṃ pāpapraṇāśanam | maṇikarṇikasaṃjñaṃ tu sarvalokeṣu viśrutam

Translation

Pulastya sprach: Dann, o bester der Könige, soll man zur sündentilgenden Tīrtha gehen, die Maṇikarṇikā heißt und in allen Welten berühmt ist.

Word by Word

• पुलस्त्यः: Pulastya
• पुलस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequencing/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अपादानार्थ (then/from there)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः)

• तीर्थम्: to a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• पापप्रणाशनम्: destroyer of sins
• पापप्रणाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रणाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पापस्य प्रणाशनम्)

• मणिकर्णिकसंज्ञम्: named ‘Maṇikarṇikā’
• मणिकर्णिकसंज्ञम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मणिकर्णिका (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ (मणिकर्णिका-नामक)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विरोध/विशेष (particle: but/indeed)

• सर्वलोकेषु: in all worlds
• सर्वलोकेषु: Adhikarana (Location/Scope/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थ (सर्वेषु लोकेषु)

• विश्रुतम्: well-known
• विश्रुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpaśreṣṭha / king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pulastya, the venerable sage, points the way as the king prepares to depart; in the distance a radiant tirtha named Maṇikarṇikā glimmers, suggesting fame across worlds.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Maṇikarṇikā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage to a celebrated tīrtha is presented as a direct means of pāpa-kṣaya (dissolution of sin) when undertaken as dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā tīrtha, proclaimed as world-renowned and sin-destroying.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A clear injunction to ‘go’ (gacchet) to the tīrtha—implying pilgrimage and the associated tīrtha-rites (snāna, tarpaṇa) elaborated in surrounding verses.