Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

इत्युक्त्वा देवदेवेशः प्रभासं प्रतिनिर्ययौ । प्रभासाद्यानि तीर्थानि गङ्गासागरमध्यतः

Transliteration

ityuktvā devadeveśaḥ prabhāsaṃ pratiniryayau | prabhāsādyāni tīrthāni gaṅgāsāgaramadhyataḥ

Translation

Having spoken thus, the Lord of the gods set out toward Prabhāsa, and (visited) the sacred tīrthas beginning with Prabhāsa, situated in the region between the Gaṅgā and the ocean.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरणसूचक (quotative)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उक्त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• देवदेवेशः: the Lord of the gods
• देवदेवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (देवानां देवः = देवदेवः; तस्य ईशः = देवदेवेशः ‘lord of the gods’); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• प्रभासम्: to Prabhāsa
• प्रभासम्: Karman (Goal/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; गन्तव्य-स्थान (object of motion)

• प्रतिनिर्ययौ: set out, departed
• प्रतिनिर्ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-निर्-या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; perfect ‘went forth/started out’

• प्रभासाद्यानि: beginning with Prabhāsa
• प्रभासाद्यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (प्रभास-आद्यानि = ‘beginning with Prabhāsa’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘तीर्थानि’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• तीर्थानि: holy places, tīrthas
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• गङ्गासागरमध्यतः: from between the Gaṅgā and the ocean
• गङ्गासागरमध्यतः: Apadana (Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + सागर (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: समासाधारित-अव्यय (गङ्गा-सागर-मध्य-तस् = ‘from the middle/between Gaṅgā and the ocean’); अव्यय; अपादानार्थ (ablatival adverb)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrative voice continuing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine departure scene: Śiva leading a celestial procession toward the seacoast at Prabhāsa; waves, coastal temples, and a chain of tīrthas suggested as vignettes along a map-like panorama between river and ocean.

Characters & Entities

• Devadeveśa (Śiva)
• Prabhāsa
• Tīrthas
• Gaṅgā
• Sāgara (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames sacred travel as a transformative journey—moving through tīrthas to restore purity and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa tīrtha is explicitly named and placed at the head of a sequence of holy sites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage to tīrthas is implied; bathing and related rites are suggested by the tīrtha context, though not stated here.