Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यत्र मुक्तोऽभवद्देवि रामो ब्रह्मवधात्किल । पातकात्प्रतिलोमां तामगाहत सरस्वतीम्

Transliteration

yatra mukto'bhavaddevi rāmo brahmavadhātkila | pātakātpratilomāṃ tāmagāhata sarasvatīm

Translation

Là, ô Déesse, Rāma fut véritablement délivré du péché d’avoir tué un brahmane ; et là même il entra dans la Sarasvatī, qui s’écoule à contre-courant selon un cours sacré et prodigieux.

Word by Word

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्ध/देश-बोधक (relative adverb: where)

• muktaḥ: freed, released
• muktaḥ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukta (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; क्त (past passive participle) from √muc (मुच्)

• abhavat: became/was
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• rāmaḥ: Rāma
• rāmaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• brahmavadhāt: from the sin of brahmin-slaying
• brahmavadhāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma + vadha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; समासः ब्रह्मणः वधः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• kila: indeed, it is said
• kila: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kila (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle indicating report/tradition)

• pātakāt: from sin
• pātakāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• pratilomām: flowing upstream/against the current
• pratilomām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratilomā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying sarasvatīm)

• tām: that (river)
• tām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• agāhata: entered, plunged into
• agāhata: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gāh (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• sarasvatīm: Sarasvatī (river)
• sarasvatīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pratilomā Sarasvatī (near Rāmeśvara, Prabhāsa)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma at the Sarasvatī’s extraordinary ‘upstream’ flow, performing snāna with folded hands; the river is shown curling back upon itself, luminous and uncanny, while a nearby Rāmeśvara liṅga anchors the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma
• Sarasvatī
• Brahmahatyā
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere approach to a sanctified tirtha, joined with humility and worship, is portrayed as powerful for expiation and inner release.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmeśvara and the Sarasvatī tirtha in the Prabhāsa region, noted for its ‘pratilomā’ (extraordinary) flow.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Agāhana—entering/bathing in the Sarasvatī at the holy spot, as part of purification.