Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

यत्र सारस्वतं तोयं सागरोर्मिसमाकुलम् । तत्र स्नास्यंति ये मर्त्या भाग्यवन्तो युगेयुगे

Transliteration

yatra sārasvataṃ toyaṃ sāgarormisamākulam | tatra snāsyaṃti ye martyā bhāgyavanto yugeyuge

Translation

Where the Sarasvatī’s waters are churned and stirred by the ocean’s waves—those mortals who bathe there, age after age, are truly the fortunate ones.

Word by Word

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (relative locative adverb: where)

• sārasvatam: of/pertaining to Sarasvatī
• sārasvatam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sārasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• toyam: water
• toyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: toya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• sāgara-ūrmi-samākulam: turbulent with ocean-waves
• sāgara-ūrmi-samākulam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sāgara (प्रातिपदिक) + ūrmi (प्रातिपदिक) + samākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम् (sing.); तत्पुरुषः (sāgarasya ūrmibhiḥ samākulam)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• snāsyanti: will bathe
• snāsyanti: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple future), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (plural), सर्वनाम

• martyāḥ: mortals
• martyāḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• bhāgyavantaḥ: fortunate
• bhāgyavantaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ye/martyāḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhāgyavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masc.), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम् (plural)

• yuge: in an age
• yuge: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचनम् (sing.)

• yuge: in (each) age
• yuge: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neut.), सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचनम् (sing.)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī-tīrtha (Prabhāsa)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A coastal sacred spot where foaming ocean waves churn at the mouth of a river identified as Sarasvatī; pilgrims descend steps/shoreline to bathe while priests hold waterpots and recite mantras; distant shrine silhouettes on the coast.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Sāgara (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Access to and participation in a great tīrtha is itself a mark of profound merit accumulated over time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarasvatī’s waters at the oceanic confluence (Sarasvatī–Sāgara saṅgama) in Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at the saṅgama.