Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

इत्युक्त्वा देवदेवेशः प्रभासं प्रतिनिर्ययौ । प्रभासाद्यानि तीर्थानि गङ्गासागरमध्यतः

Transliteration

ityuktvā devadeveśaḥ prabhāsaṃ pratiniryayau | prabhāsādyāni tīrthāni gaṅgāsāgaramadhyataḥ

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞ് ദേവദേവേശ്വരൻ പ്രഭാസത്തിലേക്ക് പുറപ്പെട്ടു. തുടർന്ന് ഗംഗയും സാഗരവും ഇടയ്ക്കുള്ള പ്രദേശത്തിലെ പ്രഭാസാദി തീർത്ഥങ്ങളെ സന്ദർശിച്ച് സേവിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरणसूचक (quotative)

• उक्त्वा: having said
• उक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) → उक्त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• देवदेवेशः: the Lord of the gods
• देवदेवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (देवानां देवः = देवदेवः; तस्य ईशः = देवदेवेशः ‘lord of the gods’); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• प्रभासम्: to Prabhāsa
• प्रभासम्: Karman (Goal/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; गन्तव्य-स्थान (object of motion)

• प्रतिनिर्ययौ: set out, departed
• प्रतिनिर्ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-निर्-या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; perfect ‘went forth/started out’

• प्रभासाद्यानि: beginning with Prabhāsa
• प्रभासाद्यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (प्रभास-आद्यानि = ‘beginning with Prabhāsa’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘तीर्थानि’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• तीर्थानि: holy places, tīrthas
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• गङ्गासागरमध्यतः: from between the Gaṅgā and the ocean
• गङ्गासागरमध्यतः: Apadana (Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + सागर (प्रातिपदिक) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: समासाधारित-अव्यय (गङ्गा-सागर-मध्य-तस् = ‘from the middle/between Gaṅgā and the ocean’); अव्यय; अपादानार्थ (ablatival adverb)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (narrative voice continuing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A divine departure scene: Śiva leading a celestial procession toward the seacoast at Prabhāsa; waves, coastal temples, and a chain of tīrthas suggested as vignettes along a map-like panorama between river and ocean.

Characters & Entities

• Devadeveśa (Śiva)
• Prabhāsa
• Tīrthas
• Gaṅgā
• Sāgara (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames sacred travel as a transformative journey—moving through tīrthas to restore purity and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa tīrtha is explicitly named and placed at the head of a sequence of holy sites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage to tīrthas is implied; bathing and related rites are suggested by the tīrtha context, though not stated here.