Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

विष्णोः संप्लवनार्थाय प्राणिनां च हिताय वै । गंगा गया कुरुक्षेत्रं नैमिषं पुष्कराणि च

Transliteration

viṣṇoḥ saṃplavanārthāya prāṇināṃ ca hitāya vai | gaṃgā gayā kurukṣetraṃ naimiṣaṃ puṣkarāṇi ca

Translation

Pour l’œuvre de Viṣṇu qui soutient le monde, et véritablement pour le bien des êtres vivants, les puissances de Gaṅgā, Gayā, Kurukṣetra, Naimiṣa et Puṣkara y sont aussi rendues présentes.

Word by Word

• विष्णोः: of Viṣṇu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, एकवचन

• संप्लवनार्थाय: for the purpose of (holy) flooding/overflow
• संप्लवनार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संप्लवन + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद (संप्लवनस्य अर्थः = “for the purpose of inundation/overflow”); पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/dative), एकवचन

• प्राणिनाम्: of living beings
• प्राणिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• हिताय: for the welfare
• हिताय: Sampradana (Purpose/Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हित (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त from √धा/√हि “to place” in sense “beneficial”)
• Form: नपुंसक/पुं (usage: neuter abstract); चतुर्थी, एकवचन; “for welfare/benefit”

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• गंगा: Gaṅgā
• गंगा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• गया: Gayā (holy place)
• गया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कुरुक्षेत्रम्: Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कुरूणां क्षेत्रम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• नैमिषम्: Naimiṣa (forest/field)
• नैमिषम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैमिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पुष्कराणि: Puṣkaras (holy places)
• पुष्कराणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra as Tīrtha-sāra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic procession of five great tīrthas personified—Gaṅgā-devī, Gayā as a śrāddha-altar with piṇḍas, Kurukṣetra as a dharma-field with banners, Naimiṣa as a forest-āśrama with sages, Puṣkara as a lotus lake—merging as streams of light into Prabhāsa under Viṣṇu’s overseeing presence.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Gaṅgā
• Gayā
• Kurukṣetra
• Naimiṣa
• Puṣkara
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas exist for loka-hita (the good of beings), concentrating divine grace so pilgrims can access vast merit in one sacred region.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra as a convergence-place said to include the sanctity of Gaṅgā, Gayā, Kurukṣetra, Naimiṣa, and Puṣkara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse frames the theological reason for tīrtha presence and their welfare-bestowing function.