Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

मुने नैवं त्वया वाच्यं गंतव्यं निश्चितं मया । नराणां पुण्यदा यात्रा कथयस्व कथं भवेत्

Transliteration

mune naivaṃ tvayā vācyaṃ gaṃtavyaṃ niścitaṃ mayā | narāṇāṃ puṇyadā yātrā kathayasva kathaṃ bhavet

Translation

Ô sage, ne parle pas ainsi. J’ai résolu de partir. Dis-moi comment le pèlerinage devient, pour les hommes, dispensateur de mérite.

Word by Word

• mune: O sage
• mune: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• evaṃ: thus, in this way
• evaṃ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय)
• Form: रीति/प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री (सर्वनाम), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• vācyaṃ: should be said
• vācyaṃ: Karya (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘वाच्यम्’ = to be said

• gantavyaṃ: must be gone (to go)
• gantavyaṃ: Karya (Obligation/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘गन्तव्यम्’ = to be gone

• niścitaṃ: decided, determined
• niścitaṃ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni + ci (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘निश्चितम्’ = determined

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karana/Karta (Agent in passive sense/करण-कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• narāṇām: of men, of people
• narāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• puṇyadā: bestowing merit
• puṇyadā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक) + dā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (पुण्यं ददाति इति)

• yātrā: pilgrimage, journey
• yātrā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• kathayasva: tell (me)
• kathayasva: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kathaya (धातु-प्रयोगः; √kath/कथ् causative/नामधातु-प्रयोग)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• kathaṃ: how
• kathaṃ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• bhavet: may be, would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Bhoja (the king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sage Sārasvata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhoja, still holding the sage’s feet or rising from that posture, speaks firmly: he will go; he requests the precise method by which yātrā becomes merit-giving for all people—suggesting a didactic turn to rules and procedures.

Characters & Entities

• Bhoja
• Sārasvata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Merit arises not only from going, but from going rightly—seeking the proper dharmic method rather than mere travel.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The inquiry belongs to the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya in Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A request for the rules of pilgrimage (yātrā-vidhi) is made, preparing for detailed prescriptions.