Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

प्रह्लाद उवाच । ततो गच्छेद्द्विजश्रेष्ठा गदातीर्थमनुत्तमम् । यत्र स्नात्वा नरो भक्त्या लभेद्भूदानजं फलम्

Transliteration

prahlāda uvāca | tato gaccheddvijaśreṣṭhā gadātīrthamanuttamam | yatra snātvā naro bhaktyā labhedbhūdānajaṃ phalam

Translation

Prahlāda sprach: Dann, o Beste der Zweifachgeborenen, soll man zum unvergleichlichen Gadā-tīrtha gehen. Wer dort in Hingabe badet, erlangt das Verdienst, das aus der Landschenkung (bhū-dāna) hervorgeht.

Word by Word

• प्रह्लादः: Prahlāda
• प्रह्लादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रह्लाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—सम्बन्ध/क्रमवाचक (then/from there)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana/Address (Vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—द्विजानां श्रेष्ठाः (best of the twice-born)

• गदातीर्थम्: Gadā-tīrtha (the sacred ford named Gadā)
• गदातीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गदा (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—गदायाः तीर्थम्

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed; excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—देशवाचक (relative adverb: where)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकाल (having bathed)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• भूदानजम्: arising from gifting land
• भूदानजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूदान (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—भूदानात् जातम् (born of land-gift)

• फलम्: fruit; merit-result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gadā-tīrtha

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ (best of brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prahlāda instructs brāhmaṇas on the route; in the background pilgrims descend steps into a clear tīrtha pool named Gadā-tīrtha, holding water-pots and prayer beads.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Gadā-tīrtha
• Bhū-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and devotional bathing at a praised tīrtha can bestow great merit comparable to major acts of charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gadā-tīrtha (within the Dvārakā sacred region as presented in the Skanda Purāṇa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Go to Gadā-tīrtha and perform snāna (ritual bathing) with bhakti.