Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 140

Devanagari script

एतच्चरित्रं यत्सर्वं दृष्टं सारस्वतेन वै । तत्तीर्थस्य प्रभावेन सिंहस्त्वं समजायथाः

Transliteration

etaccaritraṃ yatsarvaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ sārasvatena vai | tattīrthasya prabhāvena siṃhastvaṃ samajāyathāḥ

Translation

Tout cet épisode fut en effet observé par Sārasvata. Et par le pouvoir de ce gué sacré (tīrtha), tu es né en tant que lion.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (demonstrative)

• चरित्रम्: story; account; conduct
• चरित्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relational/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-विशेषण (relative)

• सर्वम्: all; entire
• सर्वम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सर्वनामसदृश-विशेषण

• दृष्टम्: seen
• दृष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थं ‘seen’

• सारस्वतेन: by Sārasvata (the sage)
• सारस्वतेन: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारस्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देश (by)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/निश्चयार्थ

• तत्: that
• तत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; निर्देश (that)

• तीर्थस्य: of the sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (of)

• प्रभावेन: by the power; due to the efficacy
• प्रभावेन: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; हेतौ/करणे (by means of; due to)

• सिंहः: a lion
• सिंहः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• समजायथाः: you were born; you came to be
• समजायथाः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + जन् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Mṛgī (doe / woman born from a doe)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-tīrtha / Svarṇareṣā-tīrtha (as ‘that tīrtha’)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king/royal interlocutor (implied by narrative frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-witness (Sārasvata) recounts the episode and declares: by the tīrtha’s power, the being became a lion—didactic revelation over a sacred landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Sārasvata (sage)
• Tīrtha
• Siṃha (lion)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas are portrayed as spiritually potent: their “prabhāva” can shape destiny and even the form of rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The unnamed tīrtha within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra māhātmya is praised for its prabhāva; the narrative context anchors it in Prabhāsa sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed in this verse; it asserts the tīrtha’s inherent efficacy.