Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि गंगां त्रिपथगामिनीम् । अनरकेशतो देवि ऐशान्यां दिशि संस्थिताम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi gaṃgāṃ tripathagāminīm | anarakeśato devi aiśānyāṃ diśi saṃsthitām

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ മഹാദേവി, ത്രിപഥഗാമിനിയായ ഗംഗയിലേക്കു പോകണം; ഹേ ദേവി, അവൾ അനരകേശത്തിൽ നിന്ന് ഈശാന (വടക്കുകിഴക്ക്) ദിശയിൽ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (then)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gaṅgām: to the Gaṅgā
• gaṅgām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tripathagāminīm: flowing in three courses
• tripathagāminīm: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri + patha + gāminī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (‘going in three paths’)

• anarakeśataḥ: from Anarakeśa
• anarakeśataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: anaraka + īśa + taḥ (प्रातिपदिक + अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb ‘from’); तत्पुरुष-आधारः (from Anarakeśa)

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• aiśānyām: in the northeastern
• aiśānyām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aiśānī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; दिक्-विशेषण (northeastern)

• diśi: direction
• diśi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• saṃsthitām: situated
• saṃsthitām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + sthā (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘स्थित’ अर्थे (agreeing with gaṅgām)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Tripathagā) at Prabhāsa; northeast of Anarakeśa

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara instructs Mahādevī, pointing toward the northeast, indicating a sacred Gaṅgā stream; pilgrims follow a marked path from a named landmark (Anarakeśa) toward a shining riverbank.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Gaṅgā
• Anarakeśa
• Aiśānya (northeast)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as sacred geography: knowing where the tīrtha is and approaching it reverently is itself dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā tīrtha within Prabhāsa Kṣetra, located in the aiśānya (northeast) direction relative to Anarakeśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction: “one should go” (gacchet) to the Gaṅgā tīrtha.