Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

प्रभासे पुष्करे राजन्गंगायां पिंडतारके । प्रयागे नृपगोमत्यां भवदामोदराग्रतः

Transliteration

prabhāse puṣkare rājangaṃgāyāṃ piṃḍatārake | prayāge nṛpagomatyāṃ bhavadāmodarāgrataḥ

Translation

Ô Roi—que ce soit à Prabhāsa, à Puṣkara, sur la Gaṅgā à Piṇḍatāraka, à Prayāga ou sur la rivière Gomati—devant Bhava et Dāmodara (le Seigneur), ces lieux saints sont proclamés pour les offrandes aux ancêtres et le mérite des tīrtha.

Word by Word

• प्रभासे: at Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative of place)

• पुष्करे: at Puṣkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

• गंगायाम्: in the Gaṅgā
• गंगायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• पिण्डतारके: at Piṇḍatāraka (a tīrtha)
• पिण्डतारके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड-तारक (प्रातिपदिक; पिण्ड + तारक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पिण्डस्य तारकः)

• प्रयागे: at Prayāga
• प्रयागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• नृपगोमत्याम्: at Nṛpagomatī (a place/tīrtha)
• नृपगोमत्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप-गोमती (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + गोमती)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नृपस्य गोमती)

• भवदामोदराग्रतः: in front of your Āmodara
• भवदामोदराग्रतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भवत्-आमोदर-अग्रतस् (प्रातिपदिक; भवत् + आमोदर + अग्रतस्)
• Form: अव्यय (अग्रतस्-प्रकारः: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समासः (भवतः आमोदरस्य अग्रतः)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced); addressed to a king within the narration

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa; Puṣkara; Gaṅgā (Piṇḍatāraka-ghāṭa); Prayāga; Gomati

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (explicit ‘rājan’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like montage: Prabhāsa seashore, Puṣkara lake with temples, Gaṅgā ghāṭa labeled Piṇḍatāraka, Prayāga sangam, Gomati riverbank; above, Bhava (Śiva) and Dāmodara (Viṣṇu) preside as blessing figures.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Puṣkara
• Gaṅgā
• Piṇḍatāraka
• Prayāga
• Gomatī
• Bhava (Śiva)
• Dāmodara (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Great tīrthas across India sanctify pitṛ-offerings, and the presence of the Divine (Śiva/Viṣṇu) crowns the rite with exceptional merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa, Puṣkara, Gaṅgā (Piṇḍatāraka), Prayāga, and the Gomatī river are all explicitly named.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering piṇḍa/performing śrāddha in these tīrthas and in the Lord’s presence is implied as highly efficacious.