Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तस्य पश्चिमदिग्भाग ऋषितोया महानदी । ऋषीणां वल्लभा देवि सर्वपातकनाशिनी

Transliteration

tasya paścimadigbhāga ṛṣitoyā mahānadī | ṛṣīṇāṃ vallabhā devi sarvapātakanāśinī

Translation

Sur son flanc occidental coule le grand fleuve Ṛṣitoyā—ô Déesse—chéri des Ṛṣi et anéantisseur de tous les péchés.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of that (place/it)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पश्चिम-दिक्-भागः: the western region/portion
• पश्चिम-दिक्-भागः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण) (as locus/region)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पश्चिम + दिक् + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—पश्चिमायां दिशि भागः (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष)

• ऋषितोया: (the river) ‘Ṛṣitoyā’ (having sages’ waters)
• ऋषितोया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि + तोया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—ऋषीणां तोया (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• महानदी: a great river
• महानदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (apposition to ṛṣitoyā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—महती नदी (कर्मधारय)

• ऋषीणाम्: of the sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• वल्लभा: beloved, dear
• वल्लभा: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वल्लभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण-रूपेण (predicate adjective)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• सर्वपातकनाशिनी: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपातकनाशिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (as epithet of the river)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पातक + नाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—सर्वेषां पातकानां नाशिनी (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continued)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṣitoyā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī) (continued context from preceding verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A clear river flowing west of a sacred grove; sages sit on its banks performing japa; pilgrims descend steps for snāna; the Devakula shrine is visible in the background, linking river purification to liṅga worship.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣitoyā (river)
• Ṛṣis
• Mahādevī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purifying rivers are portrayed as dharma-supporting forces—cherished by sages and capable of dissolving sin through sacred contact.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The river Ṛṣitoyā, located to the west of Devakula in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies tīrtha-snānā as the means of sin-destruction, made explicit in the following verse.