Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

षष्टि तीर्थसहस्राणि षष्टिकोटिशतानि च । माघ्यांमाघ्यां समेष्यंति सरस्वत्यब्धिसंगमे

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭi tīrthasahasrāṇi ṣaṣṭikoṭiśatāni ca | māghyāṃmāghyāṃ sameṣyaṃti sarasvatyabdhisaṃgame

Translation

Chaque année, au mois de Māgha, à la confluence de la Sarasvatī et de l’océan, se rassemblent soixante mille tīrtha—et même soixante crores de plus.

Word by Word

• ṣaṣṭi: sixty
• ṣaṣṭi: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (indeclinable-like numeral)

• tīrtha-sahasrāṇi: thousands of tīrthas
• tīrtha-sahasrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—तत्पुरुष (तीर्थाणां सहस्राणि)

• ṣaṣṭi: sixty
• ṣaṣṭi: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭi (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (indeclinable-like numeral)

• koṭi-śatāni: hundreds of crores
• koṭi-śatāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः—तत्पुरुष (कोटीनां शतानि)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• māghyām: in Māgha (month/seasonal time)
• māghyām: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māghī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); (माघी = माघमास-सम्बद्धा तिथि/अवधिः)

• māghyām: in Māgha (again, emphatic)
• māghyām: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māghī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); पुनरुक्ति (repetition for emphasis)

• sameṣyanti: they come together/assemble
• sameṣyanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√i (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural); धातुः—इ (गत्यर्थ), उपसर्गः—सम्

• sarasvatī-abdhi-saṃgame: at the confluence of Sarasvatī and the ocean
• sarasvatī-abdhi-saṃgame: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक) + abdhi (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); समासः—तत्पुरुष (सरस्वत्याः अब्धेः संगमः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī–Abdhi Saṅgama at Prabhāsa

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast Māgha gathering at the Sarasvatī–ocean sangam: pilgrims bathing at dawn; subtle personifications of countless tīrthas arriving as luminous beings to ‘assemble’ at the confluence.

Characters & Entities

• Māgha (month)
• Sarasvatī River
• Ocean (Abdhi)
• Sarasvatī–ocean confluence
• Tīrthas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain sacred times and confluences are portrayed as cosmically charged, drawing the power of countless tīrthas into one place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarasvatī–ocean confluence (sarasvatyabdhisaṅgama), associated with the Prabhāsa sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Seasonal timing is indicated: Māgha is highlighted as the special period when the tīrtha’s potency is said to be concentrated.