Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

स्मृतमात्रा तदा देवी गंगा त्रिपथगामिनी । भित्वा भूमितलं प्राप्ता तत्र मीनकुलावृता

Transliteration

smṛtamātrā tadā devī gaṃgā tripathagāminī | bhitvā bhūmitalaṃ prāptā tatra mīnakulāvṛtā

Translation

Schon beim bloßen Gedenken erschien die Göttin Gaṅgā—die auf den drei Pfaden strömt—durchbrach die Erdoberfläche und gelangte dorthin, umringt von Scharen von Fischen.

Word by Word

• smṛta-mātrā: merely remembered (upon being remembered)
• smṛta-mātrā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of gaṃgā/devī)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + kta (क्त) → smṛta (कृदन्त) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘smṛta’ + ‘mātra’ (only remembered)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

• devī: the goddess
• devī: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gaṃgā: Gaṅgā
• gaṃgā: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देव्या अप्पोजिशन (apposition)

• tri-patha-gāminī: moving in three courses (heaven/earth/netherworld)
• tri-patha-gāminī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of gaṃgā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + patha (प्रातिपदिक) + gāminī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (going in three paths)

• bhitvā: having pierced; breaking through
• bhitvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhid (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• bhūmi-talam: the earth’s surface
• bhūmi-talam: Karma (Object of bhitvā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (surface of the earth)

• prāptā: arrived; reached
• prāptā: Kriyā (Main predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु) + kta (क्त) → prāpta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle used finitely), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गत्यर्थक—‘arrived’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• mīna-kula-āvṛtā: surrounded by a shoal of fish
• mīna-kula-āvṛtā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of gaṃgā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mīna (प्रातिपदिक) + kula (प्रातिपदिक) + āvṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘āvṛta’; तत्पुरुषः

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within the dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-sannidhāna at Prabhāsa (episode-specific)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: implied audience within the Purāṇic frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Upon Śiva’s remembrance, Gaṅgā appears instantly—breaking through the earth—her waters alive with swirling fish, as sages watch in astonishment.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Śiva (implied)
• Matsya (fish)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred can manifest wherever divine remembrance and grace operate, making the tirtha a living intersection of worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, marked by Gaṅgā’s miraculous arrival.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse describes the epiphanic appearance of Gaṅgā as a sanctifying event.