Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

गंगातीरे शुभे रम्ये पुण्ये जनपदाकुले । ऋषिभिः सेविते नित्यं स्वर्गमार्गप्रदे ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

gaṃgātīre śubhe ramye puṇye janapadākule | ṛṣibhiḥ sevite nityaṃ svargamārgaprade dhruvam

Translation

ഗംഗാതീരത്തിലെ ശുഭവും രമണീയവും പുണ്യവുമായ—ജനപദങ്ങളാൽ നിറഞ്ഞ ആ സ്ഥലത്ത്—ഋഷികൾ നിത്യം സേവിക്കുന്നു; അത് ഉറപ്പായി സ്വർഗമാർഗം നൽകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• gaṅgā-tīre: on the bank of the Gaṅgā
• gaṅgā-tīre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक) + tīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; गङ्गायाः तीरे इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (locative: "on the bank of Gaṅgā")

• śubhe: auspicious
• śubhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying gaṅgātīre)

• ramye: lovely
• ramye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ramya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• puṇye: holy/meritorious
• puṇye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• janapada-ākule: crowded with people/settlements
• janapada-ākule: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: janapada (प्रातिपदिक) + ākula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; जनपदैः आकुलम् इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (crowded with people/settlements)

• ṛṣibhiḥ: by sages
• ṛṣibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन

• sevite: frequented/served
• sevite: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sev (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/क्तवतु-प्रत्ययः), भूतकर्मणि/कर्मणि प्रयोगः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; "सेविते" = "being frequented/served" (agreeing with tīre)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• svarga-mārga-prade: granting the path to heaven
• svarga-mārga-prade: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + mārga (प्रातिपदिक) + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; स्वर्गस्य मार्गः तं प्रददाति इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (giver of the path to heaven)

• dhruvam: certainly/indeed
• dhruvam: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निश्चयार्थक/particle of certainty)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-tīra (unspecified segment)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A broad Gaṅgā riverbank with ghāṭas and small settlements; sages with jaṭā and kamaṇḍalu sit in meditation and teaching; the river glows as a pathway upward, suggesting ‘svarga-mārga’.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Ṛṣis
• Svarga (heaven)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with holy rivers and saintly presence elevates human life toward higher destinies, including the heavenly path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred Gaṅgā riverbank locale within the narrated itihāsa (exact sub-site not named in this verse).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse extols residence/visitation and sage-association at the holy riverbank.