Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

स्नानार्थं भास्करे ग्रस्ते तं च देशमपश्यत । चिंतयामास मेधावी ह्यस्मिन्देशे तदा मम

Transliteration

snānārthaṃ bhāskare graste taṃ ca deśamapaśyata | ciṃtayāmāsa medhāvī hyasmindeśe tadā mama

Translation

സൂര്യഗ്രഹണസമയത്ത് സ്നാനാർത്ഥം വന്ന് അവൻ അതേ സ്ഥലത്തെ കണ്ടു. അപ്പോൾ ആ മേധാവിയായ രാജാവ് മനസ്സിൽ ചിന്തിച്ചു—“ഈ ദേശത്തിൽ, ആ സമയത്ത്, എന്റെ…”

Word by Word

• snāna-artham: for bathing
• snāna-artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष: snānāya arthaḥ); द्वितीया (2), एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषणवत् (accusative of purpose)

• bhāskare: when/while the sun (was...)
• bhāskare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• graste: eclipsed, seized
• graste: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gras (ग्रस् धातु) + kta (क्त) → grasta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; 'bhāskare' इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (Locative singular agreeing with bhāskare)

• tam: that
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• deśam: place, region
• deśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• apaśyata: (he) saw
• apaśyata: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: apa-√dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Imperfect, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• ciṃtayāmāsa: (he) pondered/thought
• ciṃtayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: cint (चिन्त् धातु) + यामास (periphrastic perfect)
• Form: लिट् (परिप्रास-परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Periphrastic perfect, 3rd person, Singular)

• medhāvī: the intelligent one
• medhāvī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: medhāvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Masculine, Nom., Singular)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Masculine, Locative, Singular; before sandhi)

• deśe: in the place
• deśe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: then)

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Genitive, Singular; Pronoun)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (specific ‘spot’ within the narrative)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king arrives at a sacred ford during a solar eclipse; dimmed sun, pilgrims at the water’s edge, the king pauses, recognizing a particular spot and falling into reflective thought.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Sumati
• Sūrya-grahaṇa (solar eclipse)
• Kanakhala Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred times and places awaken memory and conscience, turning worldly loss into spiritual inquiry.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kanakhala tīrtha, especially in connection with grahaṇa-time bathing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the time of a solar eclipse (grahaṇa) is the stated practice.