Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

कारण्डवैः प्लवैर्हंसैः कूर्मैर्मंडुभिरेव च । एतैरन्यैश्च कीर्णानि तथान्यैर्जलवा सिभिः

Transliteration

kāraṇḍavaiḥ plavairhaṃsaiḥ kūrmairmaṃḍubhireva ca | etairanyaiśca kīrṇāni tathānyairjalavā sibhiḥ

Translation

ആ സരോവരങ്ങൾ കാരണ്ഡവ താറാവുകൾ, പ്ലവ പക്ഷികൾ, ഹംസങ്ങൾ; കൂടാതെ ആമകളും തവളകളും ഉൾപ്പെടെ അനേകം ജലവാസികളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• कारण्डवैः: by/with kāraṇḍava ducks
• कारण्डवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण्डव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• प्लवैः: by/with water-birds (plava)
• प्लवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्लव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• हंसैः: by/with swans
• हंसैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• कूर्मैः: by/with turtles
• कूर्मैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• मण्डुभिः: by/with frogs
• मण्डुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक अव्यय; particle ‘indeed/just’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय; conjunction ‘and’

• एतैः: by/with these
• एतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Pronoun used adjectivally, Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अन्यैः: by/with other
• अन्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (विशेषण) Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय; conjunction ‘and’

• कीर्णानि: scattered/filled
• कीर्णानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कॄ (धातु) → कीर्ण (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Past passive participle, Neuter, Nom/Acc, Plural

• तथा: and likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक; adverb ‘so/also’

• अन्यैः: by/with other
• अन्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (विशेषण) Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• जलवासिभिः: by/with water-dwellers (aquatic beings)
• जलवासिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-तत्पुरुष (जले वासी), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Tatpuruṣa ‘dwelling in water’, Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-jalāśaya (sacred waters of Prabhāsa)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Aquatic life fills the sacred waters: kāraṇḍava ducks, plava birds, swans gliding, turtles surfacing, frogs along the banks—an animated yet peaceful sarovara.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsakṣetra
• kāraṇḍava
• haṃsa
• kūrma
• maṇḍūka
• jalavāsin

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha’s sanctity is reflected in thriving life-forms—an image of abundance, balance, and purity supporting dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra and its life-filled lakes and ponds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the focus remains on praising the place through its sacred natural features.