Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ययाति रुवाच । किमर्थं तत्र सा गुप्ता जाह्नवी तिष्ठते विभो । कस्मिन्काले समायाता परं कौतूहलं हि मे

Transliteration

yayāti ruvāca | kimarthaṃ tatra sā guptā jāhnavī tiṣṭhate vibho | kasminkāle samāyātā paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi me

Translation

യയാതി പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ വിഭോ! ആ ജാഹ്നവീ അവിടെ എന്തുകൊണ്ട് ഗുപ്തമായി നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു? അവൾ ഏത് കാലത്ത് അവിടെ എത്തി? എനിക്ക് മഹത്തായ കൗതുകമുണ്ട്।

Word by Word

• ययातिः: Yayāti
• ययातिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ययाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• किमर्थम्: why
• किमर्थम्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb) ‘for what reason/why’

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

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गुप्ता: hidden
• गुप्ता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुप्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √गुप्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त

• जाह्नवी: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तिष्ठते: remains
• तिष्ठते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• विभो: O mighty one
• विभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कस्मिन्: in which
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; प्रश्न-सर्वनाम

• काले: time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समायाता: arrived
• समायाता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + आ + या (धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) ‘having come/arrived’

• परम्: great
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण ‘great/supreme’ (qualifying कौतूहलम्)

• कौतूहलम्: curiosity
• कौतूहलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतूहल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) ‘indeed/for’

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Yayāti

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guptā Jāhnavī at Arbuda (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yayāti

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Yayāti, hands folded, questions sage Pulastya about the hidden Jāhnavī at Arbuda; the mountain looms behind, with a suggestion of subterranean water or a veiled river goddess presence.

Characters & Entities

• Yayāti
• Pulastya
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inquiry (jijñāsā) into a tīrtha’s origin is honored; knowing the sacred story deepens devotion and right practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śivaliṅga-kuṇḍa, specifically the hidden presence of Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a question initiating the origin narrative of the site.