Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

सरस्वती महापुण्या क्षेत्रे चास्मिन्विशेषतः । सरस्वत्युत्तरे तीरे यस्त्यजेदात्मनस्तनुम्

Transliteration

sarasvatī mahāpuṇyā kṣetre cāsminviśeṣataḥ | sarasvatyuttare tīre yastyajedātmanastanum

Translation

Sarasvatī est d’un mérite suprême, surtout dans ce kṣetra sacré. Quiconque abandonne son corps sur la rive nord de la Sarasvatī obtient une sainteté exceptionnelle, par la grandeur de ce lieu.

Word by Word

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• महापुण्या: very holy
• महापुण्या: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती पुण्या) ‘सरस्वती’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred place
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक conjunction)

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण; ‘विशेषेण’)

• सरस्वती: of Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; ‘उत्तरे’ इत्यस्य सम्बन्धः

• उत्तरे: on the northern
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन; ‘तीरे’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तीरे: bank
• तीरे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• यः: whoever
• यः: Karta (Subject of ‘त्यजेत्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• त्यजेत्: should abandon/give up
• त्यजेत्: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• आत्मनः: of oneself
• आत्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• तनुम्: body
• तनुम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Purāṇic māhātmya narration style in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī (Prabhāsa) – Uttara-tīra

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed audience within the discourse (not explicit in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene Sarasvatī flows through Prabhāsa; the northern bank is shown as especially sanctified—sages performing japa and a pilgrim preparing for final rites with calm detachment, under sacred trees and near a shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography matters in Purāṇic dharma: the holiness of Prabhāsa and Sarasvatī amplifies spiritual merit, even at life’s end.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarasvatī riverbank (especially the northern bank) within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Choosing the Sarasvatī’s northern bank as the place for one’s final departure (antya-kāla) is praised as highly meritorious.