Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 122

Devanagari script

अथातः संप्रवक्ष्यामि तीर्थानां स्पर्शने विधिम् । मन्त्रेण मंत्रितं तीर्थं भवेत्संनिहितं तथा

Transliteration

athātaḥ saṃpravakṣyāmi tīrthānāṃ sparśane vidhim | mantreṇa maṃtritaṃ tīrthaṃ bhavetsaṃnihitaṃ tathā

Translation

Nun werde ich die rechte Vorschrift für das Berühren (Anrufen) der heiligen Tīrthas darlegen. Ein Tīrtha, durch Mantra geweiht, wird dort wahrhaft gegenwärtig.

Word by Word

• अथ: now; then
• अथ: Discourse marker (Nipata)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक निपात (then/now)

• अतः: thereafter
• अतः: Discourse marker (Nipata)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/अनन्तरार्थ (thereafter/from this)

• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: I will explain
• संप्रवक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्र-√वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; “I shall explain”

• तीर्थानाम्: of the sacred fords
• तीर्थानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (of the tīrthas)

• स्पर्शने: in (the act of) touching
• स्पर्शने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विषय/अधिकरण—“in/with regard to touching”

• विधिम्: the procedure
• विधिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मपदम् (वक्ष्यामि इत्यस्य)

• मन्त्रेण: by a mantra
• मन्त्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण—“by/with a mantra”

• मंत्रितम्: consecrated
• मंत्रितम्: Visheshana (Adjective of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मंत्रित (कृदन्त; √मन्त्र् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; “consecrated/enchanted”

• तीर्थम्: the tīrtha
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृपदम् (भवेत् इत्यस्य)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; “would become”

• संनिहितम्: made present
• संनिहितम्: Visheshana (Adjective of तीर्थम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संनिहित (कृदन्त; सम्-नि-√धा (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; “present/placed near; made manifest”

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Manner (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण—“thus/so”

Speaker

Śiva (in Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya context, speaking to Devī/Umā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra tīrthas (general vidhi for all tīrthas)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa stands at a sacred water-edge, hands in añjali, invoking the tīrtha with mantra; the water is shown as subtly luminous, indicating ‘saṃnidhāna’.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Devī
• Prabhāsa
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual presence is established through mantra: sacred geography becomes experientially ‘present’ when properly invoked.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrthas of Prabhāsa Kṣetra collectively, within the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A rule for tīrtha-sparśa: consecrate/invoke the tīrtha with mantra so it becomes saṃnihita (present) for the rite.