Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ते सर्वे चिंतयामासुः समेत्य च परस्परम् । सरस्वती महापुण्या शिरस्याधाय वाडवम्

Transliteration

te sarve ciṃtayāmāsuḥ sametya ca parasparam | sarasvatī mahāpuṇyā śirasyādhāya vāḍavam

Translation

ಅವರು ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಪರಸ್ಪರ ಸೇರಿ ಚಿಂತನೆ ಮಾಡಿದರು. ಮಹಾಪುಣ್ಯಮಯಿ ಸರಸ್ವತಿ ತನ್ನ ಶಿರಸ್ಸಿನ ಮೇಲೆ ವಾಡವ ಅಗ್ನಿಯನ್ನು ಧರಿಸಿದ್ದಳು (ಎಂಬುದೇ ಅವರ ವಿಚಾರವಾಯಿತು)।

Word by Word

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम; कर्तृपद

• sarve: all
• sarve: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (te/ṛṣayaḥ)

• ciṃtayāmāsuḥ: they reflected/thought
• ciṃtayāmāsuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cint (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• sametya: having come together
• sametya: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-i (धातु) + tya (ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having assembled)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• parasparam: mutually
• parasparam: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paraspara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग; क्रियाविशेषण (mutually/with one another)

• sarasvatī: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• sarasvatī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृ/विषय-निर्देश (topic)

• mahāpuṇyā: very holy
• mahāpuṇyā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā-puṇya (प्रातिपदिक; महा + पुण्य)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (sarasvatī)

• śirasi: on (the) head
• śirasi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण (on the head)

• ādhāya: having placed
• ādhāya: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-dhā (धातु) + ya (ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having placed)

• vāḍavam: the submarine fire (vāḍava)
• vāḍavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāḍava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (narrating)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṣitoyā (contextual, impending origin)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand assembly of sages in the forest, gathered in a circle, debating; Sarasvatī appears as a radiant river-goddess, with a contained blazing ‘Vāḍava’ fire symbolically poised upon/above her head—both awe-inspiring and controlled.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Sarasvatī
• Vāḍava (fire)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrtha narratives link cosmic forces to geography, showing sages as guardians who respond through collective discernment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The narrative backdrop concerns Sarasvatī and the unfolding sacred geography that culminates in Ṛṣitoyā/Prabhāsa contexts.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this is etiological narration setting up the river’s sanctity and subsequent tīrtha merit.