Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

जलशायी स्मृतस्तेन नारायण इति श्रुतिः । आप्यतत्त्वं तु तीर्थानि यानि प्रोक्तानि ते मया

Transliteration

jalaśāyī smṛtastena nārāyaṇa iti śrutiḥ | āpyatattvaṃ tu tīrthāni yāni proktāni te mayā

Translation

C’est pourquoi on se souvient de Lui comme de « Celui qui repose sur les eaux » ; d’où, dans la Śruti, le nom scripturaire « Nārāyaṇa ». Et les tīrthas que je t’ai exposés sont, en vérité, établis dans l’Āpya-tattva, le principe de l’eau.

Word by Word

• जलशायी: the one who lies in water
• जलशायी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + शायी (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √शी/शय् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (जले शायी)

• स्मृतः: is known/called
• स्मृतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः ‘is called/remembered’

• तेन: therefore/by that
• तेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नारायणः: Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिबोधक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• श्रुतिः: the scripture/śruti
• श्रुतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• आप्यतत्त्वम्: the water-principle
• आप्यतत्त्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आप्य (प्रातिपदिक) + तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (आप्यं तत्त्वम्)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• तीर्थानि: pilgrim-places
• तीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन

• यानि: which
• यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• प्रोक्तानि: have been stated
• प्रोक्तानि: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + √वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; ‘have been declared’

• ते: those
• ते: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra tīrthas (collective)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as Deveśi)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred coastal tīrtha-scape of Prabhāsa with shimmering waters; Nārāyaṇa as Jalāśayī (reclining on Śeṣa) is invoked as the inner essence of all bathing-places; sages point to multiple tīrthas arising from the water-principle.

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇa
• Jalaśāyī
• Śruti
• Āpya-tattva
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Water-tīrthas are sanctified by the water-principle itself, and Viṣṇu’s name Nārāyaṇa is linked by śruti to his watery, sustaining nature.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies the entire class of water-principle (āpya) tīrthas previously enumerated within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly supports tīrtha-snāna (bathing) and reverence for water as a sacred medium, though no step-by-step rite is stated.