Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

स्वर्गनिश्रेणिसंभूता प्रभासे तु सरस्वती । नापुण्यवद्भिः संप्राप्तुं पुंभिः शक्या महानदी

Transliteration

svarganiśreṇisaṃbhūtā prabhāse tu sarasvatī | nāpuṇyavadbhiḥ saṃprāptuṃ puṃbhiḥ śakyā mahānadī

Translation

En Prabhāsa, Sarasvatī surge como una escalera hacia el cielo. Este gran río no puede ser alcanzado por los hombres faltos de mérito.

Word by Word

• स्वर्ग-निश्रेणि-संभूता: arisen from the heavenly stairway
• स्वर्ग-निश्रेणि-संभूता: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + निश्रेणि (प्रातिपदिक) + संभूत (कृदन्त, √भू धातु with सम्- उपसर्ग)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त-क्त (past passive participle) ‘संभूत’

• प्रभासे: in Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: ‘indeed/but’)

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• अपुण्यवद्भिः: by the unmeritorious
• अपुण्यवद्भिः: Karana/Agent-instrument (By/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपुण्यवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; ‘अपुण्यवत्’ = lacking merit

• संप्राप्तुम्: to reach
• संप्राप्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√प्राप् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), क्रियार्थक; ‘to reach/attain’

• पुंभिः: by men
• पुंभिः: Karana/Agent-instrument (By/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन

• शक्या: possible (to be reached)
• शक्या: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate/भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्य (कृदन्त, √शक् धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त-यत्/णीय (potential passive participle)

• महानदी: the great river
• महानदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘great river’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-Sarasvatī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Prabhāsa, the Sarasvatī rises as a luminous staircase of water ascending into the sky; worthy pilgrims ascend in light, while unmeritorious figures remain unable to approach, separated by a subtle veil.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Sarasvatī
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-access is framed as karmic: inner merit enables outer pilgrimage, and the site becomes a ‘ladder to heaven’ for the worthy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarasvatī as the great river at Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it teaches eligibility (adhikāra) based on puṇya for approaching the tīrtha.