Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

निर्झराणि सुरम्याणि नद्यश्च विमलोदकाः । पद्मिनीखंडसंयुक्ता ह्रदाः शतसहस्रशः

Transliteration

nirjharāṇi suramyāṇi nadyaśca vimalodakāḥ | padminīkhaṃḍasaṃyuktā hradāḥ śatasahasraśaḥ

Translation

അവിടെ അതിസുന്ദരമായ വെള്ളച്ചാട്ടങ്ങളും നിർമ്മലജലമുള്ള നദികളും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു; താമരക്കുളങ്ങളുടെ ഭാഗങ്ങളാൽ അലങ്കരിക്കപ്പെട്ട ലക്ഷക്കണക്കിന് ഹ്രദങ്ങളും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• nirjharāṇi: waterfalls, cascades
• nirjharāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nirjhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• su-ramyāṇi: very beautiful
• su-ramyāṇi: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + ramya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; उपसर्ग ‘सु-’ (intensifier)

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

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• vimala-udakāḥ: with clear water
• vimala-udakāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimala (प्रातिपदिक) + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (विमलम् उदकं यस्याः)

• padminī-khaṇḍa-saṃyuktāḥ: connected with lotus-groves
• padminī-khaṇḍa-saṃyuktāḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: padminī (प्रातिपदिक) + khaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyukta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (पद्मिनीखण्डेन संयुक्ताः)

• hradāḥ: lakes, ponds
• hradāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hrada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• śata-sahasraśaḥ: by hundreds of thousands
• śata-sahasraśaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक) + śas (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of number); अव्ययीभावः (शतसहस्र-शः = by hundreds of thousands)

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-jala-sarovara-saṅghāta (the cluster of lakes and streams of Arbuda)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Panoramic mountain landscape filled with cascading waterfalls, clear rivers, and innumerable lotus-lakes; lotuses in bloom with bees, swans, and gentle mist.

Characters & Entities

• Arbuda-parvata
• Padminī (lotus-lakes)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity of waters symbolizes purity of merit; tīrtha geography is shown as naturally conducive to cleansing and upliftment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mount Arbuda’s tīrtha-like waters—springs, rivers, and lotus lakes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated, though such descriptions typically imply suitability for snāna (sacred bathing).