Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

स्मृतमात्रा तदा देवी गंगा त्रिपथगामिनी । भित्वा भूमितलं प्राप्ता तत्र मीनकुलावृता

Transliteration

smṛtamātrā tadā devī gaṃgā tripathagāminī | bhitvā bhūmitalaṃ prāptā tatra mīnakulāvṛtā

Translation

À ce seul souvenir, la Déesse Gaṅgā—celle qui s’écoule par les trois voies—perça la surface de la terre et parvint en ce lieu, entourée de multitudes de poissons.

Word by Word

• smṛta-mātrā: merely remembered (upon being remembered)
• smṛta-mātrā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of gaṃgā/devī)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: smṛ (धातु) + kta (क्त) → smṛta (कृदन्त) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘smṛta’ + ‘mātra’ (only remembered)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (then)

• devī: the goddess
• devī: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gaṃgā: Gaṅgā
• gaṃgā: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देव्या अप्पोजिशन (apposition)

• tri-patha-gāminī: moving in three courses (heaven/earth/netherworld)
• tri-patha-gāminī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of gaṃgā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + patha (प्रातिपदिक) + gāminī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (going in three paths)

• bhitvā: having pierced; breaking through
• bhitvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhid (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• bhūmi-talam: the earth’s surface
• bhūmi-talam: Karma (Object of bhitvā)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi (प्रातिपदिक) + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (surface of the earth)

• prāptā: arrived; reached
• prāptā: Kriyā (Main predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-āp (धातु) + kta (क्त) → prāpta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle used finitely), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; गत्यर्थक—‘arrived’

• tatra: there
• tatra: Deśa-adhikaraṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• mīna-kula-āvṛtā: surrounded by a shoal of fish
• mīna-kula-āvṛtā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of gaṃgā)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mīna (प्रातिपदिक) + kula (प्रातिपदिक) + āvṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘āvṛta’; तत्पुरुषः

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within the dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-sannidhāna at Prabhāsa (episode-specific)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: implied audience within the Purāṇic frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Upon Śiva’s remembrance, Gaṅgā appears instantly—breaking through the earth—her waters alive with swirling fish, as sages watch in astonishment.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Śiva (implied)
• Matsya (fish)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sacred can manifest wherever divine remembrance and grace operate, making the tirtha a living intersection of worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, marked by Gaṅgā’s miraculous arrival.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; the verse describes the epiphanic appearance of Gaṅgā as a sanctifying event.