Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्नृपश्रेष्ठ सुपुण्यं मानुषं ह्रदम् । यत्र स्नातो नरः सम्यङ्मनुष्यो जायते सदा

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | tato gacchennṛpaśreṣṭha supuṇyaṃ mānuṣaṃ hradam | yatra snāto naraḥ samyaṅmanuṣyo jāyate sadā

Translation

Pulastya said: Then, O best of kings, one should go to the supremely meritorious lake called Mānuṣa. Having bathed there properly, one is always born as a human.

Word by Word

• पुलस्त्यः: Pulastya
• पुलस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृपश्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नृपाणां श्रेष्ठः)

• सुपुण्यम्: very holy
• सुपुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सु-पुण्यम् = अतिपुण्यम्) विशेषण (ह्रदम्)

• मानुषम्: human (named Mānuṣa)
• मानुषम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (ह्रदम्)

• ह्रदम्: lake, pool
• ह्रदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ह्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक (where)

• स्नातः: having bathed
• स्नातः: Kriya-visheshana (State/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (नरः)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• सम्यक्: properly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (properly, completely)

• मनुष्यः: a human (again)
• मनुष्यः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विधेय (नरः)

• जायते: is born, becomes
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नित्यत्ववाचक (always)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mānuṣa Hrada

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpaśreṣṭha / king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pulastya instructs a king on a forested pilgrimage path; ahead lies a luminous lake labeled ‘Mānuṣa’; pilgrims bathe while celestial beings witness the merit.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Mānuṣa Hrada

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places shape destiny: proper tīrtha-snāna is praised as a force that elevates one to human birth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mānuṣa Hrada, a sacred lake whose bath grants human birth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) performed properly in the lake.