Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

तत्र गत्वा च रथ्यासु चत्वरेषु त्रिकेषु च । प्रफुल्लकमलान्येव क्रेतुं वै मुनिसत्तमाः

Transliteration

tatra gatvā ca rathyāsu catvareṣu trikeṣu ca | praphullakamalānyeva kretuṃ vai munisattamāḥ

Translation

Dorthin gelangt, o beste der Weisen, durchstreifte ich die Straßen, die Plätze und die dreifachen Wegkreuzungen, um Käufer nur für voll erblühte Lotosblüten zu finden.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (there)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• रथ्यासु: in the streets
• रथ्यासु: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• चत्वरेषु: in the squares
• चत्वरेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चत्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• त्रिकेषु: at the three-way junctions
• त्रिकेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• प्रफुल्लकमलानि: fully-bloomed lotuses
• प्रफुल्लकमलानि: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रफुल्ल + कमल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (प्रफुल्लानि कमलानि)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• क्रेतुम्: to buy
• क्रेतुम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्री (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), अव्ययभावः; धातु: क्री (to buy)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-निपात (indeed)

• मुनिसत्तमाः: the best sages
• मुनिसत्तमाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मुनीनां सत्तमाः = best of sages)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (a devotee/pilgrim speaking to sages), within Sūta’s Prabhāsa narrative frame

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Munisattamas / dvijas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim moves through a sacred town’s lanes, squares, and three-way junctions, scanning flower-sellers for fully-bloomed lotuses; the urban geometry becomes a mandala of seeking.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expresses itself through purposeful seeking—gathering pure offerings for worship in a sacred place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsatīrtha region), celebrated in the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Preparing for pūjā by procuring auspicious flowers—specifically fully-bloomed lotuses—as offerings.