Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । अथ देवकुलाग्नेय्यां गव्यूत्या तत्र संस्थितम् । समुद्रस्य तटे रम्यमृषितीर्थमनुत्तमम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | atha devakulāgneyyāṃ gavyūtyā tatra saṃsthitam | samudrasya taṭe ramyamṛṣitīrthamanuttamam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അടുത്തതായി ദേവകുലത്തിന്റെ തെക്കുകിഴക്കൻ ദിക്കിൽ ഒരു ഗവ്യൂതി ദൂരത്ത്, സമുദ്രതീരത്ത് മനോഹരവും അനുത്തമവുമായ ‘ഋഷിതീർത്ഥം’ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (the Lord)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता/कर्ता

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• devakulāgneyyām: in the south-eastern (quarter) of Devakula
• devakulāgneyyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devakula-āgneyī (प्रातिपदिक; देवकुल + आग्नेयी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण — दिशि/प्रदेशे (in the south-east of Devakula)

• gavyūtyā: by a gavyūti (a measure of distance)
• gavyūtyā: Karana (Means/Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gavyūti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करण/परिमाण (instrumental of measure)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• saṃsthitam: situated/located
• saṃsthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ-sthā (धातु) + ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘स्थितम्’ (situated)

• samudrasya: of the ocean
• samudrasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samudra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• taṭe: on the shore/bank
• taṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• ramyam: beautiful
• ramyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ramya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण — ‘तीर्थम्’

• ṛṣitīrtham: the sages’ sacred ford (Ṛṣi-tīrtha)
• ṛṣitīrtham: Karma (Object/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi-tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक; ऋषि + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म/विषय (the place being described)

• anuttamam: unsurpassed
• anuttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-uttama (प्रातिपदिक; अन् + उत्तम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण — ‘तीर्थम्’

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṣi-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva points out the next stop: a serene Ṛṣi-tīrtha on the ocean’s edge; pilgrims walk southeast from Devakula; waves meet a sandy/rocky shore; a small tīrtha marker and perhaps a hermitage-like presence are suggested.

Characters & Entities

• Devakula
• Ṛṣi-tīrtha
• Samudra (ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The holy field is mapped as a living dharma-landscape where natural geography (the seashore) becomes a locus of sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ṛṣi-tīrtha, an ocean-shore tīrtha in the Devakula south-eastern region of Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, visiting/approaching the tīrtha as part of pilgrimage; no explicit snāna rule is stated in this verse.