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Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 55

तालः सुपर्णश्च महाध्वजौ तौ सुपूजितौ रामजनार्दनाभ्याम् । उच्चैर्जगुः स्वप्सरसो दिवानिशं वाचं चोचुर्गम्यतां तीर्थयात्राम्

tālaḥ suparṇaśca mahādhvajau tau supūjitau rāmajanārdanābhyām | uccairjaguḥ svapsaraso divāniśaṃ vācaṃ cocurgamyatāṃ tīrthayātrām

Jene beiden großen Banner—Tāla und Suparṇa—von Rāma und Janārdana ehrfürchtig verehrt, erschallten laut; und die himmlischen Apsaras verkündeten Tag und Nacht: „Möge die Pilgerfahrt zu den Tīrthas angetreten werden!“

tālaḥTāla (a standard/flagstaff name)
tālaḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roottāla (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)
suparṇaḥSuparṇa (Garuda)
suparṇaḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootsuparṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन
caand
ca:
Sambandha (Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)
mahā-dhvajauthe two great banners
mahā-dhvajau:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootmahā + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
Formकर्मधारय: mahā ca tau dhvajau, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)
tauthose two
tau:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roottad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)
supūjitauwell-honoured/worshipped
supūjitau:
Visheshana (Qualifier)
TypeAdjective
Rootsu + √pūj (पूज् धातु) + क्त
Formभूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; विशेषणम् (mahādhvajau/tau इति)
rāma-janārdanābhyāmby Rama and Janardana
rāma-janārdanābhyām:
Karana (Agent/Instrument in passive)
TypeNoun
Rootrāma + janārdana (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
Formद्वन्द्व-समास (रामा च जनार्दनश्च), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन (Dual)
uccaiḥloudly
uccaiḥ:
Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootuccaiḥ (अव्यय)
Formरीतिवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb)
jaguḥsang
jaguḥ:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√gai (गै धातु)
Formलिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)
su-apsarasaḥthe lovely apsarases
su-apsarasaḥ:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootsu + apsaras (प्रातिपदिक)
Formकर्मधारय: su (शोभना) apsarasaḥ, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन
divā-niśamday and night
divā-niśam:
Kāla (Time)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootdivā + niśā (अव्यय-द्वय)
Formअव्यय-द्वन्द्व (day and night) → कालवाचक-अव्यय (continuously)
vācamspeech/words
vācam:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootvāc (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन
caand
ca:
Sambandha (Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)
ūcuḥsaid
ūcuḥ:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√vac (वच् धातु)
Formलिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन
gamyatāmlet (them) go / proceed
gamyatām:
Kriya (Injunctive action)
TypeVerb
Root√gam (गम् धातु)
Formलोट्-लकार (Imperative), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — आज्ञार्थे ‘let it be gone/let (one) go’
tīrtha-yātrāmpilgrimage to the sacred ford
tīrtha-yātrām:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Roottīrtha + yātrā (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
Formतत्पुरुष: tīrthasya yātrā, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (contextual deduction within Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (tīrtha-saṅghāta: network of tīrthas)

Type: kshetra

Scene: Two great banners, Tāla and Suparṇa, honored by Rāma and Janārdana, resound as if alive; apsarases sing continuously, urging all to undertake tīrtha-yātrā.

R
Rāma (Balarāma)
J
Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa)
A
Apsaras
T
Tāla-dhvaja
S
Suparṇa-dhvaja

FAQs

Pilgrimage (tīrthayātrā) is upheld as a dharmic response to turning points in life—an act of purification, humility, and alignment with divine prompting.

Within this Māhātmya, the pilgrimage impulse culminates at Prabhāsakṣetra, the celebrated tīrtha of the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

The verse explicitly urges tīrthayātrā (undertaking pilgrimage), implying customary tīrtha-dharma such as snāna, darśana, and offerings at sacred sites.