Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

स तीर्थान्यग्रतः कृत्वा मध्ये कृत्वा तु शोभनम् । प्रयागं तीर्थराजं च प्रहृष्टं क्षेत्रदर्शनात्

Transliteration

sa tīrthānyagrataḥ kṛtvā madhye kṛtvā tu śobhanam | prayāgaṃ tīrtharājaṃ ca prahṛṣṭaṃ kṣetradarśanāt

Translation

അവൻ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളെ മുൻപിൽ വെച്ചു; മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ ശോഭനമായ പ്രയാഗം—തീർത്ഥരാജനെ—വെച്ചു; പുണ്യക്ഷേത്രദർശനത്തിൽ അവൻ ഹർഷിതനായി।

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• तीर्थानि: the sacred fords/holy places
• तीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

• अग्रतः: in front, ahead
• अग्रतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: in front)

• कृत्वा: having made/placing
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन (locative)

• कृत्वा: having made/placing
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषबोधक-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• शोभनम्: the splendid/beautiful (one/thing)
• शोभनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शोभन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• प्रयागम्: Prayāga
• प्रयागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• तीर्थराजम्: the king of holy places
• तीर्थराजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + राज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (king of tīrthas)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• प्रहृष्टम्: delighted, greatly pleased
• प्रहृष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रहृष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त-निष्पन्न विशेषण (past-participle-derived adj.)

• क्षेत्रदर्शनात्: from/because of seeing the sacred region
• क्षेत्रदर्शनात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (seeing of the sacred place)

Speaker

Prahlāda (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prayāga (Tīrtharāja)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand symbolic procession of personified tīrthas: many holy places at the front; in the center sits the splendid Prayāga as a regal figure at a confluence, smiling with joy upon beholding the sacred kṣetra ahead.

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga
• Tīrtha-rāja (king of tīrthas)
• Kṣetra (sacred region)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred travel is structured by reverence—honoring renowned tīrthas like Prayāga while moving within a larger dharmic pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prayāga is explicitly glorified as tīrtha-rāja, the king among pilgrimage places.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse emphasizes kṣetra-darśana (holy visitation) and the honoring/precedence given to major tīrthas.