Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ततः स्वजानुमात्रेण संप्राप्तं पृथिवीतले । ततो विष्णुपदी गंगा प्रसिद्धिमगमत्क्षितौ

Transliteration

tataḥ svajānumātreṇa saṃprāptaṃ pṛthivītale | tato viṣṇupadī gaṃgā prasiddhimagamatkṣitau

Translation

Daraufhin sank jenes Wasser zur Erde herab, bis zum Maß seines eigenen Knies, und erreichte die Oberfläche der Welt. Von diesem Geschehen her wurde die Gaṅgā auf Erden als „Viṣṇupadī“ berühmt — der Fluss, der aus Viṣṇus Fuß hervorging.

Word by Word

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमसूचक-अव्यय (indeclinable adverb: ‘thereafter/from there’)

• स्वजानु-मात्रेण: by (the measure of) one’s own knee
• स्वजानु-मात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + जानु (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण) एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (स्वस्य जानोः मात्रा = ‘one’s own knee-measure’)

• संप्राप्तम्: reached; arrived
• संप्राप्तम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु) → संप्राप्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः; ‘having reached/arrived’

• पृथिवी-तले: on the surface of the earth
• पृथिवी-तले: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पृथिव्याः तलम्)

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमसूचक-अव्यय (thereafter)

• विष्णु-पदी: (the river) called Viṣṇupadī
• विष्णु-पदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + पदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (विष्णोः पदी = ‘connected with Viṣṇu’s foot/step’)

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन

• प्रसिद्धिम्: fame; renown
• प्रसिद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन

• अगमत्: went; attained
• अगमत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• क्षितौ: on the earth
• क्षितौ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षिति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन (वैकल्पिक रूप: क्षितौ)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Viṣṇupadī)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous stream descends from Viṣṇu’s foot-region to earth, stopping at ‘knee-measure’ imagery; the river is personified as Gaṅgā, radiant and flowing, with the epithet ‘Viṣṇupadī’ emphasized.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Viṣṇu
• Viṣṇupadī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṅgā’s holiness is grounded in her divine source—Viṣṇu’s Foot—making contact with her a purifier within dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights the Viṣṇupada tradition and the sanctity of Gaṅgā as she becomes renowned on earth, within the Prabhāsakṣetra narrative flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; it establishes why later bathing and worship at connected tīrthas yields merit.