Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

।ब्रह्मोवाच । धृताः सर्वा महापुण्या नद्यो ब्रह्मकमण्डलौ । प्रविष्टाः पृथिवीं यांतु ऋषीणामनुकम्पया

Transliteration

|brahmovāca | dhṛtāḥ sarvā mahāpuṇyā nadyo brahmakamaṇḍalau | praviṣṭāḥ pṛthivīṃ yāṃtu ṛṣīṇāmanukampayā

Translation

ಬ್ರಹ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಈ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮಹಾಪುಣ್ಯಕರ ನದಿಗಳು ಬ್ರಹ್ಮನ ಕಮಂಡಲುವಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಧರಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿವೆ. ಋಷಿಗಳ ಮೇಲಿನ ಅನುಕಂಪೆಯಿಂದ ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರವೇಶಿಸಿ ಈಗ ಭೂಮಿಗೆ ಹರಿದು ಹೋಗಲಿ.

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्/ब्रह्मा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• धृताः: held/contained
• धृताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); ‘नद्यः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण

• महापुण्याः: greatly meritorious/very holy
• महापुण्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); समासः कर्मधारयः (महा + पुण्य)

• नद्यः: rivers
• नद्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ब्रह्मकमण्डलौ: in Brahmā’s water-pot
• ब्रह्मकमण्डलौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म + कमण्डलु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular) (अर्थे); समासः तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः कमण्डलुः)

• प्रविष्टाः: entered
• प्रविष्टाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + विश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural); ‘नद्यः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• पृथिवीम्: the earth
• पृथिवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• यान्तु: let them go
• यान्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• ऋषीणाम्: of the sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अनुकम्पया: by compassion
• अनुकम्पया: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुकम्पा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (frame); rivers as tīrtha-devīs

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (addressed implicitly); within Īśvara/Skanda-Purāṇic narration frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, seated with kamaṇḍalu, holds within it luminous miniature rivers; sages stand in supplication; the rivers shimmer, poised to descend to earth.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Kamaṇḍalu
• Pṛthivī (Earth)
• Ṛṣis
• Sacred rivers (collectively)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy waters are granted to the world as an act of compassion, supporting the sages’ dharma and ritual life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (context of the adhyāya), where the rivers’ sacred presence becomes meaningful for tīrtha-mahātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied: enabling rites dependent on sacred water (snāna/abhiṣeka), though no direct instruction is given.