Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततः पश्चिमतो गच्छेन्न्यंकुमत्यास्तटे शुभे । दक्षिणां दिशमाश्रित्य स्थितं तीर्थं महाप्रभम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tataḥ paścimato gacchennyaṃkumatyāstaṭe śubhe | dakṣiṇāṃ diśamāśritya sthitaṃ tīrthaṃ mahāprabham

Translation

Īśvara dit : Ensuite, qu’on aille vers l’ouest, jusqu’à la rive bénie de la Nyaṃkumatī. Tourné vers le sud, s’y tient un tīrtha d’un éclat souverain.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (nominative singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् लकार (perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Apadana/Adverbial (Source/sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमवाचक (from there/thereafter)

• पश्चिमतः: westwards
• पश्चिमतः: Adhikarana (Direction/अधिकरण-दिक्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक) + तसिल् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: दिक्-निर्देशक अव्यय (directional adverb: westwards/from the west)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन (injunctive instruction)

• न्यंकुमत्याः: of the Nyaṅkumatī (river)
• न्यंकुमत्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्यंकुमती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन (genitive singular)

• तटे: on the bank
• तटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (locative singular)

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with तटे)

• दक्षिणाम्: southern
• दक्षिणाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with दिशम्)

• दिशम्: direction
• दिशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (accusative singular)

• आश्रित्य: having turned to
• आश्रित्य: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive relation/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु) → आश्रित्य (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having resorted to/turning to)

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with तीर्थम्)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (accusative singular)

• महाप्रभम्: very splendid
• महाप्रभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाप्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with तीर्थम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim party moves westward along an auspicious riverbank; a luminous tirtha-marker stands ahead, approached while facing south; the landscape suggests coastal Saurashtra with sacred signposts.

Characters & Entities

• Nyaṃkumatī
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as a disciplined journey through sacred geography, where direction and place are part of the sādhana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A “mahāprabha” tīrtha situated on the auspicious bank of the Nyaṃkumatī in Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Travel instruction: go westward to the Nyaṃkumatī bank and orient oneself southward at the tīrtha.