Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि तीर्थं नारायणाभिधम् । तस्यैवेशानदिग्भागे वापी शांडिल्यकीर्तिता

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi tīrthaṃ nārāyaṇābhidham | tasyaiveśānadigbhāge vāpī śāṃḍilyakīrtitā

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹാദേവി! തുടർന്ന് ‘നാരായണ’ എന്ന നാമമുള്ള തീർത്ഥത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം. അതിന്റെ ഈശാന ഭാഗത്ത് ‘ശാണ്ഡില്യാ’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ ഒരു വാപി (പടിക്കിണർ) ഉണ്ട്.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Sequence marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अपादानार्थक क्रियाविशेषणम् (then/from there)

• 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; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• tīrtham: to a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• nārāyaṇābhidham: named ‘Nārāyaṇa’
• nārāyaṇābhidham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nārāyaṇa-abhidha (प्रातिपदिक; नारायण + अभिध)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘तीर्थम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (named Nārāyaṇa)

• tasya: of it/of that
• tasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपातः (emphatic particle)

• īśānadigbhāge: in the north-east direction-part
• īśānadigbhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśāna-diś-bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• vāpī: a stepwell/pond
• vāpī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāpī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• śāṃḍilyakīrtitā: called ‘Śāṃḍilya’
• śāṃḍilyakīrtitā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śāṃḍilya-kīrtitā (प्रातिपदिक; शाण्डिल्य + कीर्तिता)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle used adjectivally), स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘वापी’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (called/celebrated as Śāṃḍilya)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nārāyaṇa-tīrtha; Śāṇḍilyā-vāpī (sub-site)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Pārvatī, pointing toward a sacred ford named Nārāyaṇa; a stepwell lies in the northeast, with carved stairs descending to shimmering water; pilgrims approach with water-pots.

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇa-tīrtha
• Śāṇḍilyā vāpī
• Mahādevī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa guides pilgrims through sacred geography, presenting tīrthas and associated waters as supports for dharma and purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nārāyaṇa-tīrtha, with the nearby Śāṇḍilyā vāpī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directive to proceed to the tīrtha (pilgrimage/darśana); bathing and worship are implied but detailed in the following verse.