Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

शेषनागेशरूपेण निष्क्रम्य च शरीरतः । गच्छन्गच्छंस्तदा प्राप्य तीर्थं त्रैसंगमं परम्

Transliteration

śeṣanāgeśarūpeṇa niṣkramya ca śarīrataḥ | gacchangacchaṃstadā prāpya tīrthaṃ traisaṃgamaṃ param

Translation

അപ്പോൾ അദ്ദേഹം നാഗാധിപനായ ശേഷന്റെ രൂപത്തിൽ ശരീരത്തിൽ നിന്നു നിർഗമിച്ച് മുന്നോട്ടു നീങ്ങി പരമമായ ‘ത്രൈസംഗമ’ തീർത്ഥത്തെ പ്രാപിച്ചു.

Word by Word

• शेषनागेशरूपेण: in the form of Śeṣa, lord of serpents
• शेषनागेशरूपेण: Karana (Manner/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष-नाग-ईश-रूप (प्रातिपदिक; शेष + नाग + ईश + रूप)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; ‘शेषनागेशस्य रूपेण’

• निष्क्रम्य: having emerged
• निष्क्रम्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: निस् + क्रम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having gone out/emerged’

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

• शरीरतः: from the body
• शरीरतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; तसिलर्थः (from)

• गच्छन्: going
• गच्छन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘going’

• गच्छन्: going on (repeatedly)
• गच्छन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (iterative emphasis)

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund), ‘having reached’

• तीर्थम्: the sacred ford/place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• त्रैसंगमम्: of the threefold confluence
• त्रैसंगमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रैसंगम (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + संगम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘तीर्थम्’); ‘त्रयाणां संगमः’

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘तीर्थम्’)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Traisaṅgama (Trisaṅgama) Tīrtha

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed implicitly in the sequence)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-figure sheds mortal limitation and appears as Śeṣa-like nāga-form, moving toward a radiant confluence tīrtha; waters meet under a vast sky, with subtle cosmic signs.

Characters & Entities

• Śeṣa
• Nāgas
• Traisaṅgama (triple confluence)
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are woven into cosmic identities—nāga symbolism and tirtha geography together teach transformation and onward progress on the path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Traisaṅgama, the ‘triple confluence’ tirtha, described as supreme.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse highlights reaching/visiting the Traisaṅgama tirtha as part of the sacred itinerary.