Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

पठेन्नामसहस्रं तु स्तवराजमथापि वा । गजेन्द्रमोक्षणं चैव पथि गच्छञ्छनैः शनैः

Transliteration

paṭhennāmasahasraṃ tu stavarājamathāpi vā | gajendramokṣaṇaṃ caiva pathi gacchañchanaiḥ śanaiḥ

Translation

വഴിയിൽ പതുക്കെ മുന്നേറിക്കൊണ്ട്, നാമസഹസ്രം അല്ലെങ്കിൽ സ്തവരാജം അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ഗജേന്ദ്രമോക്ഷണം പോലും പാരായണം ചെയ്യണം।

Word by Word

• पठेत्: should recite
• पठेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नामसहस्रम्: the thousand names
• नामसहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नामन् + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (a thousand of names)

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (particle)

• स्तवराजम्: the king of hymns
• स्तवराजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तव + राज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (king of hymns)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भार्थक (then/now)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ (also/even)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (or)

• गजेन्द्रमोक्षणम्: Gajendra's deliverance (episode)
• गजेन्द्रमोक्षणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गजेन्द्र + मोक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (the deliverance of Gajendra)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic)

• पथि: on the road
• पथि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पथिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन

• गच्छन्: walking
• गच्छन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) शतृ-प्रत्यय; गच्छत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त

• शनैः: slowly
• शनैः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनैस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) — instrumental-form adverb

• शनैः: very slowly
• शनैः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनैस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्त क्रियाविशेषण

Speaker

Unspecified (narrative voice within Dvārakā Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā-yātrā-mārga (recitation practice)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim walks ‘step by step’ with prayer beads, lips moving in recitation; beside him another pilgrim narrates Gajendra’s deliverance; in a vignette-like cloud, Viṣṇu descends with cakra to save the elephant from the crocodile—linking recitation to remembered myth.

Characters & Entities

• Gajendra-mokṣaṇa
• Sahasranāma
• Dvārakā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is sanctified by remembrance and recitation; the journey itself becomes worship through nāma and stotra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, in the context of recommended devotional recitations while traveling to/within the sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recitation (paṭhana) of sahasranāma, a principal stotra (stavarāja), or the Gajendra-mokṣaṇa while walking.