Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

गंगाजले प्रयागे वा केदारे पुष्करे च ये । वस्त्रापथे प्रभासे च मृतास्ते स्वर्गगामिनः

Transliteration

gaṃgājale prayāge vā kedāre puṣkare ca ye | vastrāpathe prabhāse ca mṛtāste svargagāminaḥ

Translation

Diejenigen, die in den Wassern der Gaṅgā sterben, oder in Prayāga, oder in Kedāra, oder in Puṣkara—und ebenso in Vastrāpatha in Prabhāsa—sind dem Himmel bestimmt.

Word by Word

• गङ्गाजले: in the waters of the Ganga
• गङ्गाजले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गङ्गायाः जलम्)

• प्रयागे: at Prayaga
• प्रयागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha/Connector
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• केदारे: at Kedara
• केदारे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केदार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुष्करे: at Pushkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

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

• वस्त्रापथे: at Vastrapatha
• वस्त्रापथे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्रापथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वस्त्राणाम् पथः)

• प्रभासे: at Prabhasa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• मृताः: (having) died
• मृताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृ (धातु) → मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कर्तरि कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अर्थः ‘मृतः/मृतवन्तः’

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; निर्देशार्थक (correlative pronoun)

• स्वर्गगामिनः: goers to heaven
• स्वर्गगामिनः: Predicate/Viśeṣaṇa (प्रेडिकेटिव विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + गामिन् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √गम्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (स्वर्गं गच्छन्ति इति)

Speaker

Narrative voice within Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya (attribution uncertain from snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha (Prabhāsa) in equivalence with Gaṅgā/Prayāga/Kedāra/Puṣkara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred panorama: Gaṅgā’s flowing waters, the confluence at Prayāga, snowy Kedāra peaks, Puṣkara lake with ghats, and coastal Prabhāsa—souls rising as luminous birds toward svarga.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Prayāga
• Kedāra
• Puṣkara
• Vastrāpatha
• Prabhāsa
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are portrayed as spiritually transformative; even death in such tīrthas is said to confer heavenly destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha in Prabhāsa is explicitly included among major pan-Indian tīrthas like Gaṅgā, Prayāga, Kedāra, and Puṣkara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it states the fruit (svarga) associated with tīrtha-maraṇa in these sacred locations.