Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

नारद उवाच । अहो अत्यद्भुतं ह्येतद्गौतम्या व्यसनं महत् । पश्यन्त्वसंशयं देवास्तीर्थक्षेत्रसरिद्वराः

Transliteration

nārada uvāca | aho atyadbhutaṃ hyetadgautamyā vyasanaṃ mahat | paśyantvasaṃśayaṃ devāstīrthakṣetrasaridvarāḥ

Translation

Nārada berkata: “Aduhai, sungguh amat menakjubkan—beginilah malapetaka besar yang menimpa Gautamī! Hendaklah para dewa, yang utama antara tīrtha, wilayah suci dan sungai-sungai, menyaksikannya tanpa sebarang keraguan.”

Word by Word

• नारदः: Nārada
• नारदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहो: alas! oh!
• अहो: Discourse particle (उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्गार (interjection)

• अत्यद्भुतम्: most wonderful
• अत्यद्भुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति + अद्भुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेतौ/निश्चये ‘indeed/for’

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• गौतम्याः: of Gautamī (Godāvarī)
• गौतम्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• व्यसनम्: calamity; misfortune
• व्यसनम्: Karma/Predicate nominal (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; विशेषण

• पश्यन्तु: let (them) see
• पश्यन्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• असंशयम्: without doubt
• असंशयम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अ + संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverbial accusative), ‘without doubt’

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन

• तीर्थक्षेत्रसरिद्वराः: the excellent sacred fords, holy places, and rivers
• तीर्थक्षेत्रसरिद्वराः: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + क्षेत्र + सरित् + वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व/समुच्चयार्थ (collective listing)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautamī (Godāvarī)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implicitly the assembled audience; explicitly calls upon devas and foremost tīrthas/kshetras/rivers as witnesses

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada, struck by wonder and grief, proclaims the extraordinary calamity of Gautamī and calls upon the gods and the best of tīrthas/kshetras/rivers to witness.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Gautamī (Godāvarī)
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A sacred being’s suffering is treated as spiritually significant, calling for collective witnessing and reflection among divine powers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gautamī (Godāvarī) is central; the verse also invokes the broader category of tīrthas, kṣetras, and holy rivers.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a summons to witness and deliberate, preparing for an ensuing remedy.