Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

पार्वत्युवाच । कथं तत्र समायाता गंगा त्रिपथगामिनी । कथं त्रिनेत्राः संजाता मत्स्या आंभसिकाः शिव

Transliteration

pārvatyuvāca | kathaṃ tatra samāyātā gaṃgā tripathagāminī | kathaṃ trinetrāḥ saṃjātā matsyā āṃbhasikāḥ śiva

Translation

ປາຣະວະຕີກ່າວວ່າ: ກັງຄາ ຜູ້ໄຫຼໄປຕາມສາມທາງ ມາຮອດທີ່ນັ້ນໄດ້ແນວໃດ? ແລະປາມີຕາສາມ—ສັດແຫ່ງນ້ຳ—ເກີດຂຶ້ນແນວໃດ, ໂອ ພຣະສິວະ?

Word by Word

• पार्वती: Pārvatī
• पार्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• समायाता: arrived; came
• समायाता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + या (धातु) + क्त → समायात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कर्तृविशेषण (predicate adjective) गङ्गा

• गङ्गा: Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• त्रिपथगामिनी: going in three paths
• त्रिपथगामिनी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि + पथ + गामिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier) गङ्गा

• कथम्: how?
• कथम्: Sambandha (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-क्रियाविशेषण

• त्रिनेत्राः: three-eyed
• त्रिनेत्राः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि + नेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (qualifier) मत्स्याः

• संजाताः: born; arisen
• संजाताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + जन् (धातु) + क्त → संजात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); कर्तृविशेषण (predicate adjective) मत्स्याः

• मत्स्याः: fishes
• मत्स्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• आम्भसिकाः: watery; living in water
• आम्भसिकाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आम्भसिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (qualifier) मत्स्याः

• शिव: O Śiva
• शिव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Pārvatī (Satī/Girijā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Gaṅgā-sannidhya motif)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śiva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pārvatī questions Śiva beside a sacred waterbody at Prabhāsa; a luminous stream-symbol of Gaṅgā appears, and in the water, wondrous fish with a third eye-mark are hinted beneath ripples.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Gaṅgā
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are understood through sacred origin-stories; asking ‘how’ reveals the dharmic meaning behind tīrtha phenomena.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra is the setting; the narrative points toward a particular Śaiva locale later named near Saṅgāleśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly here; the verse is an inquiry that frames the forthcoming tīrtha-māhātmya explanation.