Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा तमृषयो देवा यथोचितमपूजयन् । जाह्नवी यमुना पुण्या नर्मदा च सरस्वती

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā tamṛṣayo devā yathocitamapūjayan | jāhnavī yamunā puṇyā narmadā ca sarasvatī

Translation

Seeing him, the sages and the gods honored him as was fitting—and there were present the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā), the Yamunā, the sacred Narmadā, and Sarasvatī.

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having seen’

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• देवाः: gods
• देवाः: Karta (co-subject/सहकर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• यथोचितम्: as appropriate
• यथोचितम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा + उचित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb): ‘as is proper’

• अपूजयन्: worshipped; honored
• अपूजयन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• जाह्नवी: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• यमुना: Yamunā
• यमुना: Karta (co-subject/सहकर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• पुण्या: holy
• पुण्या: Karta (as qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (यमुना-विशेषण)

• नर्मदा: Narmadā
• नर्मदा: Karta (co-subject/सहकर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

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

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (co-subject/सहकर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pan-tīrtha-sammelana at Prabhāsa/Dvārakā (implied)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Not specified in excerpt

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gautama stands honored; around him, sages and devas offer arghya and flowers. The great rivers appear as divine women with their vahanas/symbols—Gaṅgā with makara, Yamunā with tortoise, Narmadā with lotus/river-pot, Sarasvatī with vīṇā—forming a luminous circle of waters.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• Yamunā
• Narmadā
• Sarasvatī
• Ṛṣis
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence to realized sages is inseparable from reverence to tīrthas; both are carriers of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse highlights pan-Indian tīrthas through the presence of major sacred rivers within the Dvārakā Māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, honoring (pūjā) of sages and tīrtha-deities is commended; no detailed procedure is specified.