Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

एकतः सर्वतीर्थानि ब्रह्माण्डे सचराचरे । गंगादीनि नरश्रेष्ठ तेषां पुण्या सरस्वती

Transliteration

ekataḥ sarvatīrthāni brahmāṇḍe sacarācare | gaṃgādīni naraśreṣṭha teṣāṃ puṇyā sarasvatī

Translation

一方には、動くものも動かぬものも含む全宇宙のあらゆる聖なる渡処（ティールタ）があり、ガンガーなどもそこに数えられる、ああ人の中の最勝者よ。されどその中で、サラスヴァティーこそ最も清浄にして至聖である。

Word by Word

• ekataḥ: on one side
• ekataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ekataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक/पक्षवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम् (on one side/one hand)

• sarva-tīrthāni: all sacred places
• sarva-tīrthāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (सर्वाणि तीर्थानि)

• brahmāṇḍe: in the universe
• brahmāṇḍe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmāṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• sa-carācare: together with the moving and unmoving (beings)
• sa-carācare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह) + carācara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (चराचरेण सह)

• gaṃgā-ādīni: (tīrthas) beginning with Gaṅgā
• gaṃgā-ādīni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गङ्गा आदिः येषां तानि)

• nara-śreṣṭha: O best of men
• nara-śreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (नराणां श्रेष्ठ)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• puṇyā: most meritorious/holy
• puṇyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• sarasvatī: Sarasvatī
• sarasvatī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Aśarīriṇī Vāk (continuing instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatī (Prabhāsa) as tīrtha-sāra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rāma

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: countless tīrthas symbolized as miniature rivers and shrines on one side, while Sarasvatī shines centrally as a single luminous river surpassing them; Gaṅgā appears respectfully among the many.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic sacred geography ranks tīrthas to guide seekers toward especially potent places of purification and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarasvatī at Prabhāsa is praised as exceptionally meritorious, even when compared with Gaṅgā and other tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse functions as a tīrtha-mahātmyic endorsement encouraging pilgrimage and bathing.