Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 128

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । कस्मिंस्तीर्थे नरैः पूर्वं प्रभासक्षेत्रमागतैः । स्नानं कार्यं महादेवि तन्मे विस्तरतो वद

Transliteration

devyuvāca | kasmiṃstīrthe naraiḥ pūrvaṃ prabhāsakṣetramāgataiḥ | snānaṃ kāryaṃ mahādevi tanme vistarato vada

Translation

ദേവി പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ മഹാദേവി! പ്രഭാസക്ഷേത്രത്തിലെത്തിയവർ ആദ്യം ഏത് തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യണം? അത് എനിക്ക് വിശദമായി പറയുക।

Word by Word

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Speaker/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कस्मिन्: in which
• कस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तीर्थे: in (which) tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नरैः: by men
• नरैः: Karaṇa/Agent (Doer in passive/with gerundive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• पूर्वम्: first; earlier
• पूर्वम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: first/previously)

• प्रभासक्षेत्रम्: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• प्रभासक्षेत्रम्: Karma (Goal as object with āgata)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Prabhāsa's field)

• आगतैः: having come
• आगतैः: Karaṇa/Agent (by those who have come)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; नरैः इति विशेषणम्

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject of gerundive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कार्यम्: should be done
• कार्यम्: Kriyā (Obligation predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (ought to be done)

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (great + goddess)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मे: to me
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive: to me/of me)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (enclitic)

• विस्तरतः: in detail
• विस्तरतः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विस्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverb: in detail)

• वद: tell
• वद: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsakṣetra (entry protocol)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī respectfully questioning Mahādeva about the first bathing ford upon reaching Prabhāsa; background hints of coastal sacred landscape and pilgrims arriving.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is not random; sacred geography is approached with proper order, humility, and ritual discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra as a whole, introducing the question of the first tīrtha for snāna within Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is to perform a first (initial) ritual bath upon arriving at Prabhāsa, according to an established tīrtha order.