Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । जीर्णं तोयं मया देवास्तथैवामेध्यतां गतम् । उत्पत्स्यति रघूणां हि कुले नृपतिसत्तमः

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | jīrṇaṃ toyaṃ mayā devāstathaivāmedhyatāṃ gatam | utpatsyati raghūṇāṃ hi kule nṛpatisattamaḥ

Translation

അഗസ്ത്യൻ പറഞ്ഞു— “ഹേ ദേവന്മാരേ, ഞാൻ ആ ജലം കുടിച്ച് ജീർണ്ണമാക്കി; അതു അമേധ്യതയിലേക്കു പോയതിനാൽ തിരികെ നൽകാൻ യോഗ്യമല്ല. എന്നാൽ രഘുവംശത്തിൽ ഒരു ശ്രേഷ്ഠ രാജാവ് ഉദിക്കും।”

Word by Word

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• जीर्णम्: stale / decayed
• जीर्णम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जॄ (धातु) → जीर्ण (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तोयम्)

• तोयम्: water
• तोयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/करण/कर्ता), एकवचन

• देवाः: O gods
• देवाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), बहुवचन

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• अमेध्यताम्: impurity / unfitness for sacrifice
• अमेध्यताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमेध्यता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; भाववाचक

• गतम्: gone to / become
• गतम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (तोयम्)

• उत्पत्स्यति: will arise / be born
• उत्पत्स्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उत् + पत् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल/Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• रघूणाम्: of the Raghu lineage
• रघूणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रघु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• हि: indeed / for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/निश्चयार्थक निपात (for/indeed)

• कुले: in the family
• कुले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• नृपतिसत्तमः: the best of kings
• नृपतिसत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपति (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (नृपतीनां सत्तमः); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, composed and authoritative, explains that the ocean-water has been consumed and cannot be returned; he utters a prophecy about a future king in Raghu’s line.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Devas
• Raghu-vaṃśa (Raghus)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma includes discernment about purity and proper restoration; solutions arise through divinely-timed righteous rulers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the ocean’s fate is linked to a future sacred intervention (Gaṅgā’s descent).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite; the verse discusses ritual-ethical purity (amedhya) as a reason the water is not returned.