Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

वाराणसी कुरुक्षेत्रं प्रयागो जाह्नवी तथा । यमुना नर्मदा पुण्या पुण्या प्राची सरस्वती

Transliteration

vārāṇasī kurukṣetraṃ prayāgo jāhnavī tathā | yamunā narmadā puṇyā puṇyā prācī sarasvatī

Translation

Vārāṇasī, Kurukṣetra et Prayāga; ainsi que la Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā); la Yamunā et la sainte Narmadā; la sacrée Prācī et la Sarasvatī—(toutes étaient présentes).

Word by Word

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Karta (Listed item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• कुरुक्षेत्रम्: Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रम्: Karta (Listed item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कुरूणां क्षेत्रम्)

• प्रयागः: Prayāga
• प्रयागः: Karta (Listed item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जाह्नवी: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवी: Karta (Listed item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तथा: also
• तथा: Samuccaya
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/सादृश्य-बोधक (also/likewise)

• यमुना: Yamunā
• यमुना: Karta (Listed item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यमुना (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नर्मदा: Narmadā
• नर्मदा: Karta (Listed item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुण्या: holy
• पुण्या: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to narmadā)

• पुण्या: holy
• पुण्या: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (to prācī)

• प्राची: Prācī (river/region)
• प्राची: Karta (Listed item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Listed item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Prahlāda (continuing the list of tīrthas/kṣetras)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis (frame audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic procession/map: Vārāṇasī, Kurukṣetra, Prayāga appear as personified kṣetra-deities; Gaṅgā (Jāhnavī), Yamunā, Narmadā, Prācī, Sarasvatī appear as river-goddesses, all oriented toward Dvārakā as the focal sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Kurukṣetra
• Prayāga
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• Yamunā
• Narmadā
• Prācī
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All renowned tīrthas are acknowledged, implying a sacred hierarchy where their sanctity is gathered and culminates in the Lord’s abode.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

While many are named (Kāśī, Prayāga, Kurukṣetra, etc.), the surrounding context glorifies Dvārakā as the meeting-point and superior focus.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a sacred-geography enumeration used to magnify the māhātmya.