Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 140

Devanagari script

एतच्चरित्रं यत्सर्वं दृष्टं सारस्वतेन वै । तत्तीर्थस्य प्रभावेन सिंहस्त्वं समजायथाः

Transliteration

etaccaritraṃ yatsarvaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ sārasvatena vai | tattīrthasya prabhāvena siṃhastvaṃ samajāyathāḥ

Translation

Diese ganze Episode wurde tatsächlich von Sārasvata beobachtet. Und durch die Kraft dieser heiligen Furt (tīrtha) wurdest du als Löwe geboren.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (demonstrative)

• चरित्रम्: story; account; conduct
• चरित्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relational/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-विशेषण (relative)

• सर्वम्: all; entire
• सर्वम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनामसदृश-विशेषण

• दृष्टम्: seen
• दृष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थं ‘seen’

• सारस्वतेन: by Sārasvata (the sage)
• सारस्वतेन: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देश (by)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/निश्चयार्थ

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; निर्देश (that)

• तीर्थस्य: of the sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (of)

• प्रभावेन: by the power; due to the efficacy
• प्रभावेन: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; हेतौ/करणे (by means of; due to)

• सिंहः: a lion
• सिंहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• समजायथाः: you were born; you came to be
• समजायथाः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + जन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Mṛgī (doe / woman born from a doe)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-tīrtha / Svarṇareṣā-tīrtha (as ‘that tīrtha’)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king/royal interlocutor (implied by narrative frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-witness (Sārasvata) recounts the episode and declares: by the tīrtha’s power, the being became a lion—didactic revelation over a sacred landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Sārasvata (sage)
• Tīrtha
• Siṃha (lion)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas are portrayed as spiritually potent: their “prabhāva” can shape destiny and even the form of rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The unnamed tīrtha within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra māhātmya is praised for its prabhāva; the narrative context anchors it in Prabhāsa sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed in this verse; it asserts the tīrtha’s inherent efficacy.