Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । अग्नितीर्थं ततो गच्छेत्सागरस्य तटे शुभे । यत्राऽसौ वाडवो मुक्तः सरस्वत्या वरानने

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | agnitīrthaṃ tato gacchetsāgarasya taṭe śubhe | yatrā'sau vāḍavo muktaḥ sarasvatyā varānane

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „Daraufhin soll man zum Agnitīrtha gehen, am glückverheißenden Ufer des Ozeans, o Schönangesichtige; dort wurde Vāḍava, das unterseeische Feuer, von Sarasvatī freigesetzt.“

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• अग्नितीर्थम्: the Agni-tīrtha
• अग्नितीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ततः: then; from there
• ततः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) ‘thereafter/from there’

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

• सागरस्य: of the ocean
• सागरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• तटे: on the bank/shore
• तटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifying) तटे

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक/स्थानवाचक (relative adverb of place)

• असौ: that (he/it)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• वाडवः: the submarine fire (Vāḍava)
• वाडवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाडव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• मुक्तः: released; set free
• मुक्तः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुच् (धातु) → मुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् वाडवः

• सरस्वत्याः: of Sarasvatī
• सरस्वत्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• वरानने: O fair-faced one
• वरानने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वरानना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); समासः वर + आनना

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Agnitīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On an auspicious ocean shore, pilgrims approach Agnitīrtha; beneath the waves the mythic Vāḍava fire is suggested; Sarasvatī is evoked as a divine river-goddess releasing the force.

Characters & Entities

• Agnitīrtha
• Sāgara (ocean)
• Sarasvatī
• Vāḍava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places preserve cosmic events; bathing and visiting them links the pilgrim to divine order and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Agnitīrtha on the auspicious ocean shore within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to proceed to Agnitīrtha as part of the prescribed pilgrimage sequence.