Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 137

Devanagari script

तीर्थानि भ्रममाणोऽत्र संप्राप्तस्तु पुरं तव । अधुना संप्रयास्यामि प्रभासं क्षेत्रमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

tīrthāni bhramamāṇo'tra saṃprāptastu puraṃ tava | adhunā saṃprayāsyāmi prabhāsaṃ kṣetramuttamam

Translation

Errant de tīrtha en tīrtha, je suis parvenu ici, dans ta cité. À présent, je partirai pour Prabhāsa, le domaine sacré suprême, sans égal.

Word by Word

• tīrthāni: pilgrimage places
• tīrthāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• bhramamāṇaḥ: wandering
• bhramamāṇaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhram भ्रम् (धातु) + शतृ (शतृ-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्यय, present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place): here

• saṃprāptaḥ: arrived
• saṃprāptaḥ: Karta (Predicate complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp आप् (धातु) + sam + क्त
• Form: कृदन्त (past participle/क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'arrived'

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle/conjunction): but/indeed

• puram: city
• puram: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी, एकवचन

• adhunā: now
• adhunā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhunā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (temporal adverb): now

• saṃprayāsyāmi: I will depart/go
• saṃprayāsyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā या (धातु) + sam + प्र + लृट् (लृट्-लकार)
• Form: तिङन्त; लृट् (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• prabhāsam: Prabhāsa
• prabhāsam: Karma (Destination/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (गन्तव्य-स्थान)

• kṣetram: region/holy field
• kṣetram: Karma (Apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'prabhāsam' इति विशेषण/विशेष्यभावे

• uttamam: excellent
• uttamam: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'kṣetram' इति विशेष्ये

Speaker

Unspecified pilgrim/ascetic (addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (addressed as 'nṛpottama')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wandering ascetic with staff and water-pot stands before a city gate, speaking to a king or minister; behind him a road stretches toward the western sea, with a distant temple silhouette suggesting Somnātha/Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is portrayed as a purposeful dharmic journey, with Prabhāsa highlighted as a supreme destination.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is explicitly praised as the “uttama” (supreme) sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated here; the verse emphasizes intention and direction in tīrthayātrā.