Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

प्राचीं सरस्वतीं ये तु पिबंति सततं मृगाः । तेऽपि स्वर्गं गमिष्यंति यज्ञैर्द्विजवरा यथा

Transliteration

prācīṃ sarasvatīṃ ye tu pibaṃti satataṃ mṛgāḥ | te'pi svargaṃ gamiṣyaṃti yajñairdvijavarā yathā

Translation

പ്രാചീ സരസ്വതിയുടെ ജലം നിരന്തരം പാനം ചെയ്യുന്ന മൃഗങ്ങളും സ്വർഗ്ഗത്തിലേക്ക് പോകും—യജ്ഞങ്ങളാൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ദ്വിജർ പോകുന്നതുപോലെ।

Word by Word

• प्राचीम्: eastern (named Prācī)
• प्राचीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सरस्वतीम् इति) — Feminine, Accusative singular, adjective

• सरस्वतीम्: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• सरस्वतीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Accusative singular

• ये: who (those who)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक — particle ‘but/indeed’

• पिबन्ति: drink
• पिबन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — Present indicative, 3rd plural

• सततम्: always/continually
• सततम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — indeclinable adverb

• मृगाः: deer/animals
• मृगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural (demonstrative pronoun)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ) — particle ‘also/even’

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular

• गमिष्यन्ति: will go
• गमिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — Simple future, 3rd plural

• यज्ञैः: by sacrifices
• यज्ञैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental plural

• द्विजवराः: best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजवराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative plural; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः ‘द्विजानां वराः’ — ‘best among the twice-born’

• यथा: as/just like
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/तुलना) — indeclinable of comparison ‘as/like’

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextual praise within the Māhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prācī Sarasvatī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Deer herd at the riverbank peacefully drinking; above them a subtle celestial pathway or gandharvas indicating svarga-gamana; nearby a brāhmaṇa performing yajña as a visual comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Prācī Sarasvatī
• Sarasvatī
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of a tīrtha can uplift even non-human beings; sacred geography is portrayed as spiritually transformative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prācī Sarasvatī in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular drinking/partaking of the tīrtha-water is praised as yielding svarga-like merit.