Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

कृष्ण उवाच । मा गयां गच्छ कौंतेय मा गंगां मा च पुष्करम् । तत्र गच्छ कुरुश्रेष्ठ यत्र प्राची सरस्वती

Transliteration

kṛṣṇa uvāca | mā gayāṃ gaccha kauṃteya mā gaṃgāṃ mā ca puṣkaram | tatra gaccha kuruśreṣṭha yatra prācī sarasvatī

Translation

Kṛṣṇa sprach: „Geh nicht nach Gayā, o Sohn der Kuntī; geh weder zur Gaṅgā noch nach Puṣkara. Geh dorthin, Bester der Kurus, wo die Prācī Sarasvatī fließt.“

Word by Word

• कृष्णः: Krishna
• कृष्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• मा: do not
• मा: Avyaya (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (prohibitive particle)

• गयाम्: to Gaya
• गयाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक; स्थाननाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• गच्छ: go
• गच्छ: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कौन्तेय: O son of Kunti
• कौन्तेय: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौन्तेय (प्रातिपदिक; कुन्तीपुत्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• मा: do not
• मा: Avyaya (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (prohibitive)

• गङ्गाम्: to the Ganga
• गङ्गाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• मा: do not
• मा: Avyaya (Prohibition/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (prohibitive)

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• पुष्करम्: to Pushkara
• पुष्करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक; स्थाननाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: there)

• गच्छ: go
• गच्छ: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कुरुश्रेष्ठ: O best of the Kurus
• कुरुश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु-श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; कुरु + श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमास (कुरुषु श्रेष्ठः)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (where)

• प्राची: eastern / named Prācī
• प्राची: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण

• सरस्वती: Sarasvati (river)
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

Speaker

Kṛṣṇa (Janārdana/Nārāyaṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prācī Sarasvatī

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kaunteya / Kuruśreṣṭha (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kṛṣṇa speaks authoritatively, redirecting the pilgrim: ‘Do not go to Gayā, Gaṅgā, or Puṣkara; go where the Prācī Sarasvatī flows.’ The moment feels like a map being redrawn by divine command.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Kaunteya
• Gayā
• Gaṅgā
• Puṣkara
• Prācī Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Not all pilgrimages are equal in every context; dharma directs the seeker to the most fitting and efficacious tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prācī Sarasvatī tīrtha within Prabhāsa-kṣetra is explicitly singled out as the destination.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction is given: go to Prācī Sarasvatī for the purificatory practice that follows (snāna and observance).