Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

कथं पापैर्विनिर्मुक्ता परमानन्दसंप्लुता । सुप्रभा जायते देवी तद्गौतम विचिन्त्यताम्

Transliteration

kathaṃ pāpairvinirmuktā paramānandasaṃplutā | suprabhā jāyate devī tadgautama vicintyatām

Translation

Comment la Déesse-rivière peut-elle devenir Suprabhā, affranchie des péchés et inondée de béatitude suprême ? Ô Gautama, qu’on y réfléchisse.

Word by Word

• kathaṃ: how
• kathaṃ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Interrogative/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb: how)

• pāpaiḥ: by/with sins
• pāpaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• vinirmuktā: freed, released
• vinirmuktā: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi+nir√muc (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘freed’

• paramānanda-saṃplutā: flooded with supreme bliss
• paramānanda-saṃplutā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama + ānanda + sam√plu (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (परमेन आनन्देन सम्प्लुता = flooded with supreme bliss), क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• suprabhā: Suprabhā (name)
• suprabhā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su + prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सु-प्रभा = very radiant)

• jāyate: is born/arises
• jāyate: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• devī: the goddess
• devī: Apposition (Samānādhikaraṇa/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tad: therefore
• tad: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तद्-अव्यय (therefore/then; discourse particle)

• gautama: O Gautama
• gautama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vicintyatām: let (this) be considered / please reflect
• vicintyatām: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi√cint (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; विधिलिङ्गार्थे—‘let it be considered/please consider’

Speaker

Tīrthas/Rivers and Holy Sites (collectively) addressing Gautama

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautamī / Suprabhā (epithet-state of the river)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gautama (ṛṣi)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A council of sages and devotees pose a reverent question to Gautama: how can the river-goddess transform into radiant Suprabhā, free of sin and overflowing with bliss; the river appears as a goddess with a dawning aura.

Characters & Entities

• Gautama
• Devī (river goddess)
• Suprabhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity is not only removal of sin but restoration of divine radiance and bliss in sacred life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The focus is the river-goddess transformation toward Suprabhā, within the Gautamī tīrtha framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A deliberation is requested from Gautama; the specific remedy/rite is not stated in this verse.