Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

प्राचीं सरस्वतीं ये तु पिबंति सततं मृगाः । तेऽपि स्वर्गं गमिष्यंति यज्ञैर्द्विजवरा यथा

Transliteration

prācīṃ sarasvatīṃ ye tu pibaṃti satataṃ mṛgāḥ | te'pi svargaṃ gamiṣyaṃti yajñairdvijavarā yathā

Translation

Selbst die Hirsche, die unablässig aus Prācī Sarasvatī trinken, werden in den Himmel gelangen—so wie die Besten der Zweimalgeborenen ihn durch Opfer (yajña) erreichen.

Word by Word

• प्राचीम्: eastern (named Prācī)
• प्राचीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सरस्वतीम् इति) — Feminine, Accusative singular, adjective

• सरस्वतीम्: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• सरस्वतीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative singular

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक — particle ‘but/indeed’

• पिबन्ति: drink
• पिबन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — Present indicative, 3rd plural

• सततम्: always/continually
• सततम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — indeclinable adverb

• मृगाः: deer/animals
• मृगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural (demonstrative pronoun)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ) — particle ‘also/even’

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular

• गमिष्यन्ति: will go
• गमिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — Simple future, 3rd plural

• यज्ञैः: by sacrifices
• यज्ञैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental plural

• द्विजवराः: best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजवराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः ‘द्विजानां वराः’ — ‘best among the twice-born’

• यथा: as/just like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/तुलना) — indeclinable of comparison ‘as/like’

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextual praise within the Māhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prācī Sarasvatī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Deer herd at the riverbank peacefully drinking; above them a subtle celestial pathway or gandharvas indicating svarga-gamana; nearby a brāhmaṇa performing yajña as a visual comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Prācī Sarasvatī
• Sarasvatī
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of a tīrtha can uplift even non-human beings; sacred geography is portrayed as spiritually transformative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prācī Sarasvatī in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular drinking/partaking of the tīrtha-water is praised as yielding svarga-like merit.