Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

चर्मण्वती च सरयूर्गंडकी चंडपापहा । चंद्रभागा विपाशा च शोणश्चैव पुनःपुनः

Transliteration

carmaṇvatī ca sarayūrgaṃḍakī caṃḍapāpahā | caṃdrabhāgā vipāśā ca śoṇaścaiva punaḥpunaḥ

Translation

Carmaṇvatī et Sarayū ; Gaṇḍakī, farouche destructrice du péché ; Candrabhāgā, Vipāśā et aussi Śoṇa — louées encore et encore.

Word by Word

• चर्मण्वती: Carmaṇvatī (river)
• चर्मण्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चर्मण्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• सरयूः: Sarayū (river)
• सरयूः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरयू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गंडकी: Gaṇḍakī (river)
• गंडकी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गंडकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चंडपापहा: destroyer of fierce sins
• चंडपापहा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चण्ड + पाप + ह (√हन् धातु, प्रातिपदिक-निर्माण)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—(चण्डं पापं) हन्ति इति ‘चण्डपापहा’ (pāpahā = ‘sin-destroyer’)

• चंद्रभागा: Candrabāgā (river)
• चंद्रभागा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र + भागा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—चन्द्रस्य भागा इति

• विपाशा: Vipāśā (Beas river)
• विपाशा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विपाशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• शोणः: Śoṇa (river)
• शोणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्ति-बोधक अव्यय (adverb: again)

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्ति-बोधक अव्यय (adverb: again)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṇḍakī (highlighted) within the Vastrāpatha tīrtha-sāra invocation

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vivid tableau of six rivers as goddesses; Gaṇḍakī stands central with a garland of śālagrāma stones and a fierce protective aura ‘destroying sin’; the others (Chambal, Sarayū, Chenab, Beas, Son) flow in from different directions, their waters forming a mandala around the pilgrim.

Characters & Entities

• Carmaṇvatī
• Sarayū
• Gaṇḍakī
• Candrabhāgā
• Vipāśā
• Śoṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy rivers are extolled as pāpa-hara (sin-removing) tīrthas; repeated praise underscores their sanctifying power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Though listing multiple rivers, the setting remains Vastrāpathakṣetra-māhātmya in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, aligning local māhātmya with India-wide tīrtha culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) in these rivers is the implied practice, with liberation from sin stated in the surrounding verses.