Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

प्रह्लाद उवाच । विष्णुं वरप्रदं श्रुत्वा भ्रातॄणां ब्रह्मनंदनाः । मंदाकिनी वसिष्ठेन समानीता धरातले

Transliteration

prahlāda uvāca | viṣṇuṃ varapradaṃ śrutvā bhrātṝṇāṃ brahmanaṃdanāḥ | maṃdākinī vasiṣṭhena samānītā dharātale

Translation

Prahlāda said: Having heard that Viṣṇu is the giver of boons, the sons of Brahmā, for the sake of their brothers, had the Mandākinī brought down to the earth by Vasiṣṭha.

Word by Word

• prahlādaḥ: Prahlāda
• prahlādaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd person, Singular)

• viṣṇum: Viṣṇu
• viṣṇum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• varapradam: granting boons
• varapradam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of Viṣṇu)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vara + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular); समासः वर + प्रद (वरं प्रददाति)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• bhrātṝṇām: of the brothers
• bhrātṝṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhrātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Plural)

• brahmanandanāḥ: sons of Brahmā
• brahmanandanāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman + nandana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural); समासः ब्रह्मणः नन्दनाः

• maṃdākinī: Mandākinī (river)
• maṃdākinī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃdākinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• vasiṣṭhena: by Vasiṣṭha
• vasiṣṭhena: Karaṇa (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasiṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृ-करण), एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

• samānītā: was brought/led
• samānītā: Kriyā (Predicate as participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-nī (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• dharātale: on the earth’s surface
• dharātale: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharātala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular); समासः धरायाः तलम्

Speaker

Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mandākinī (as sanctifying archetype within Dvārakā-māhātmya frame)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prahlāda narrates as Vasiṣṭha, through tapas and mantra, draws the celestial Mandākinī down to the earthly plane; devas witness the river’s descent as a luminous stream.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā
• Brahmanandanas (sons of Brahmā)
• Vasiṣṭha
• Mandākinī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing of Viṣṇu’s grace inspires great sacred acts; divine mercy is linked with the manifestation of holy waters on earth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mandākinī is invoked as a sacred river brought to earth; the verse signals a shift to her tīrtha-origin narrative within the chapter’s holy-geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual instruction is stated here; it introduces a narrative frame (Prahlāda speaking) about sacred waters and Viṣṇu’s boon-bestowing power.