Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

ततो मेध्यतरं जातं तीर्थं च वरवर्णिनि । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन तत्र स्नानं समाचरेत्

Transliteration

tato medhyataraṃ jātaṃ tīrthaṃ ca varavarṇini | tasmātsarvaprayatnena tatra snānaṃ samācaret

Translation

«Alors, ô dame au beau teint, le tīrtha devint encore plus purificateur. C’est pourquoi, avec tous ses efforts, on doit s’y baigner.»

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter; from that
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = indeclinable adverb; अर्थे: ‘ततः/तस्मात्’ = thereafter/from that

• medhyataram: purer (more purifying)
• medhyataram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: medhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; तर्तीय-तुलनात्मक (तर) = neuter nom/acc sg, comparative ‘purer’

• jātam: arisen; become
• jātam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jan (धातु) + jāta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; PPP = ‘born/come into being’

• tīrtham: sacred ford; pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (कर्मणि/वाक्ये विषयः) = neuter nominative singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपात) = conjunction ‘and’

• vara-varṇini: O fair/beautiful lady
• vara-varṇini: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vara (प्रातिपदिक) + varṇinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास = vocative sg ‘O excellent-complexioned one’

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmāt (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक ‘tad’)
• Form: अव्ययप्राय (हेतौ/तस्मात्-प्रयोगः) = indeclinable ‘therefore/from that reason’

• sarva-prayatnena: with every effort
• sarva-prayatnena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (विशेषणपूर्वपद) = instrumental sg ‘with all effort’ (adverbial use)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण) = locative adverb ‘there’

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन = neuter accusative singular

• samācaret: should perform; should undertake
• samācaret: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन = should practice/perform

Speaker

Narrator (addressing a female interlocutor in the māhātmya frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa tīrtha (medhyatara after Sarasvatī’s inundation)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varavarṇinī / Devī (as addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dawn, pilgrims descend stone steps into a calm tīrtha; the water is depicted as luminous and ‘extra-pure’; a gentle Sarasvatī presence is suggested; attendants hold towels and water-pots; the mood is disciplined and serene.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When a place is divinely sanctified, the proper response is earnest practice—especially purificatory bathing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The strengthened/purified tīrtha in Prabhāsa-kṣetra described across Adhyāya 258.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna: one should bathe there with full sincerity and effort.