Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीप्रह्लाद उवाच । ततो गच्छेद्द्विजश्रेष्ठा रथांगाख्यं महोदधिम् । चक्रांका यत्र पाषाणा दृश्यंते मुक्तिदायकाः

Transliteration

śrīprahlāda uvāca | tato gaccheddvijaśreṣṭhā rathāṃgākhyaṃ mahodadhim | cakrāṃkā yatra pāṣāṇā dṛśyaṃte muktidāyakāḥ

Translation

Śrī Prahlāda dit : Ensuite, ô le meilleur des brāhmanes, qu’on se rende au grand océan nommé Rathāṅga, où l’on voit des pierres portant l’empreinte du Disque, dispensatrices de délivrance.

Word by Word

• śrī-prahlādaḥ: Śrī Prahlāda
• śrī-prahlādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; कर्मधारय (श्रीमान् प्रह्लादः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: then/from there)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular (injunctive sense: should go)

• dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ: O best of the twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, बहुवचन — Masculine, Vocative, Plural; तत्पुरुष (द्विजेषु श्रेष्ठाः)

• rathāṅga-ākhyam: named Rathāṅga
• rathāṅga-ākhyam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rathāṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (रथाङ्ग इति आख्यं = named ‘Rathāṅga’)

• mahā-udadhiम्: the great ocean/sea
• mahā-udadhiम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + udadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular; कर्मधारय (महान् उदधिः)

• cakra-aṅkāḥ: marked with a discus (chakra)
• cakra-aṅkāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cakra (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; तत्पुरुष (चक्रेण अङ्किताः)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• pāṣāṇāḥ: stones/rocks
• pāṣāṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṣāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• dṛśyante: are seen/appear
• dṛśyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद — Present, 3rd person, Plural, Ātmanepada (passive sense: are seen)

• mukti-dāyakāḥ: granting liberation
• mukti-dāyakāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक) + dāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; तत्पुरुष (मुक्तिं ददाति)

Speaker

Śrī Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rathāṅga Mahodadhi

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-śreṣṭhas (best of brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prahlāda instructs brāhmaṇas to proceed to the vast ocean called Rathāṅga; on the shore, dark rocks display natural cakra-like imprints, and pilgrims gaze in wonder, hands folded.

Characters & Entities

• Rathāṅga (Cakra)
• Mahodadhi (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is revelatory: even natural objects marked with divine symbols become supports for liberation when approached with faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rathāṅgākhya Mahodadhi—an ocean-tīrtha associated with the Cakra (Viṣṇu’s Disc) marks.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage instruction: ‘one should go’ to the Rathāṅga ocean-tīrtha and behold the cakra-marked stones.