Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । कुलसंतारणं गच्छेत्तत्र तीर्थमनुत्तमम् । यत्र स्नातो नरः सम्यक्कुलं तारयतेऽखिलम्

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | kulasaṃtāraṇaṃ gacchettatra tīrthamanuttamam | yatra snāto naraḥ samyakkulaṃ tārayate'khilam

Translation

Pulastya sprach: Man soll nach Kulasantāraṇa gehen, zu diesem unvergleichlichen Tīrtha; denn wer dort rechtmäßig badet, erlöst wahrhaft sein ganzes Geschlecht.

Word by Word

• pulastyaḥ: Pulastya
• pulastyaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pulastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• kula-saṃtāraṇam: the deliverance of the lineage
• kula-saṃtāraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula + saṃtāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक; कुल + संतारण)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कुलस्य संतारणम्)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• tīrtham: to the sacred ford/place
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• anuttamam: unsurpassed
• anuttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-uttama (प्रातिपदिक; अन् + उत्तम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; नञ्-समास/उपसर्ग-निषेध (superlative: "unsurpassed")

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक (relative adverb "where")

• snātaḥ: having bathed
• snātaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• samyak: properly
• samyak: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb "properly")

• kulam: the family/lineage
• kulam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tārayate: delivers/saves
• tārayate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tṝ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• akhilam: entire
• akhilam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akhila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kulasantāraṇa

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pulastya instructs the king about Kulasantāraṇa; a pilgrim bathes at a clear ford while subtle ancestral figures (pitṛs) appear above, receiving offerings; the landscape suggests Arbuda’s rocky hills and forested groves.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Kulasantāraṇa Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and holy bathing, when done rightly, are presented as acts that uplift not only the individual but the whole family line.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kulasantāraṇa Tīrtha (a pilgrimage site within the Arbuda Khaṇḍa geography).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go to Kulasantāraṇa Tīrtha and perform snāna (ritual bathing) there.