Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । इत्युक्त्वांतर्दधे राजन्गोविंदो गरुडध्वजः । तस्मिन्दिने नृपश्रेष्ठ स्नात्वा व्रतं समाचरेत्

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | ityuktvāṃtardadhe rājangoviṃdo garuḍadhvajaḥ | tasmindine nṛpaśreṣṭha snātvā vrataṃ samācaret

Translation

Pulastya sprach: Nachdem er so geredet hatte, verschwand Govinda—dessen Banner Garuḍa trägt—, o König. An eben diesem Tag, o bester der Herrscher, soll man nach dem rituellen Bad das Gelübde ordnungsgemäß auf sich nehmen.

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Avyaya (Discourse marker/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्य-समाप्ति/उद्धरण-चिह्न (quotative)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• अन्तर्दधे: disappeared/withdrew
• अन्तर्दधे: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अन्तर् + धा (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• गोविन्दः: Govinda (Viṣṇu)
• गोविन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोविन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• गरुडध्वजः: the one whose banner is Garuḍa
• गरुडध्वजः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गरुड + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—गरुडः ध्वजः यस्य (गरुड-चिह्नधारी)

• तस्मिन्: on that
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/Time)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (दिने)

• दिने: day
• दिने: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—श्रेष्ठः नृपः (राजश्रेष्ठ)

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

• व्रतम्: vow/observance
• व्रतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• समाचरेत्: should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda tīrtha (the lake and Hari’s abode)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājan / nṛpaśreṣṭha (the king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pulastya, the sage narrator, addresses a king; behind them, a subtle vision of Govinda with Garuḍa banner fades into invisibility (antardhāna). The king is instructed to bathe and undertake the vow on that very day.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Govinda
• Garuḍadhvaja
• King (listener)
• vrata
• snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Revelation must be followed by practice: after receiving tīrtha-glory, one should bathe and commit to vrata with discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The context remains Vārāha Tīrtha and its sacred bathing rite in Adhyāya 19.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna followed immediately by observance of a vrata on the specified auspicious day.