Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

वस्त्रापथे महातीर्थे भवं द्रष्टुं त्वरान्वितः । त्वक्सारजालिर्महती स्वर्णरेखाजलोपरि

Transliteration

vastrāpathe mahātīrthe bhavaṃ draṣṭuṃ tvarānvitaḥ | tvaksārajālirmahatī svarṇarekhājalopari

Translation

Se hâtant de contempler Bhava (Śiva) au grand gué sacré de Vastrāpatha, il vit un vaste filet de fibres d’écorce déployé sur les eaux de la Svarṇarekhā.

Word by Word

• vastrāpathe: at Vastrāpatha
• vastrāpathe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vastrāpatha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (vastrāṇāṃ pathaḥ)

• mahātīrthe: at the great sacred ford
• mahātīrthe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महच्च तत् तीर्थम्)

• bhavam: Bhava (Śiva)
• bhavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• draṣṭum: to see
• draṣṭum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive); प्रयोजनार्थ (purpose)

• tvarānvitaḥ: endowed with haste; hurried
• tvarānvitaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tvarā + anvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (tvarayā anvitaḥ)

• tvak: skin/bark
• tvak: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvac (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (समासपूर्वपद-रूप)

• sāra: essence; pith
• sāra: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, प्रातिपदिक (समासपूर्वपद)

• jāliḥ: a net; mesh
• jāliḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāli (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• mahatī: great; large
• mahatī: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• svarṇa: gold
• svarṇa: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासपूर्वपद)

• rekhā: line; streak
• rekhā: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rekhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासपूर्वपद)

• jala: water
• jala: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक (समासपूर्वपद)

• upari: upon; above
• upari: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरणार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: upari (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपरि-शब्दः (preposition/adverb)

Speaker

Narrator voice

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha Mahātīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The chamberlain hastens to Vastrāpatha to behold Bhava. Over the waters of Svarṇarekhā lies a large netting made of bark-fibres, spread like a ritual screen or trap—an ominous yet sacred sign at the ford.

Characters & Entities

• Vastrāpatha
• mahātīrtha
• Bhava (Śiva)
• Svarṇarekhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is framed as darśana-seeking—approaching Bhava (Śiva) at a mahātīrtha where signs and sacred objects appear in the landscape.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha mahātīrtha and the waters of Svarṇarekhā are explicitly named.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed; the verse highlights darśana of Bhava at the tirtha as the motivating religious act.