Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अस्मरन्मनसा देवं ब्रह्माणं पितरं स्वकम् । तेषां तु चिंतितं ज्ञात्वा ब्रह्मा गंगामथाब्रवीत्

Transliteration

asmaranmanasā devaṃ brahmāṇaṃ pitaraṃ svakam | teṣāṃ tu ciṃtitaṃ jñātvā brahmā gaṃgāmathābravīt

Translation

Dans leur esprit, ils se souvinrent de leur propre père, le dieu Brahmā. Connaissant ce qu’ils avaient en pensée, Brahmā s’adressa alors à la sainte Gaṅgā.

Word by Word

• अस्मरन्: they remembered
• अस्मरन्: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• मनसा: with (their) mind
• मनसा: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ब्रह्माणम्: Brahmā
• ब्रह्माणम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पितरम्: father
• पितरम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्वकम्: their own
• स्वकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); (देवं/ब्रह्माणं/पितरं विशेषयति)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

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

• चिन्तितम्: (their) thought / what was thought
• चिन्तितम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिन्तित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √चिन्त् + क्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine); प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• गङ्गाम्: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गाम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine); द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Sequencing adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनन्तरार्थक (then)

• अब्रवीत्: said
• अब्रवीत्: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, within Dvārakā-māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages sit in meditation, remembering Brahmā; above, Brahmā appears on a lotus, perceiving their thoughts, turning to address the personified Gaṅgā—depicted as a radiant river-goddess with flowing waters.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Gaṅgā
• Brahmaputras (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine providence responds to sincere inner remembrance; the cosmos aligns to support dharmic intentions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Though Gaṅgā is invoked, the narrative remains within Dvārakā-māhātmya, linking major sacred waters to Dvārakā’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it introduces a divine instruction involving Gaṅgā.