Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

सरस्वत्यास्ततः स्रोत उत्थितं पश्चिमामुखम् । काञ्चनानां तु पद्मानि उच्छ्रितानि सहस्रशः

Transliteration

sarasvatyāstataḥ srota utthitaṃ paścimāmukham | kāñcanānāṃ tu padmāni ucchritāni sahasraśaḥ

Translation

Kemudian dari Sarasvatī bangkitlah suatu arus yang mengalir menghadap ke barat; dan ribuan demi ribuan teratai emas pun memancar, menjulang tinggi.

Word by Word

• sarasvatyāḥ: of Sarasvatī
• sarasvatyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• tataḥ: from there / then
• tataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/क्रमवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (from there/then)

• srotaḥ: a stream
• srotaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: srotas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• utthitam: arisen
• utthitam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-√sthā (धातु) → utthita (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; agrees with ‘srotaḥ’

• paścimāmukham: west-facing
• paścimāmukham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; adjective to ‘srotaḥ’ meaning ‘west-facing’

• kāñcanānām: of gold (golden)
• kāñcanānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāñcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• tu: and/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (but/indeed)

• padmāni: lotuses
• padmāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• ucchritāni: raised / elevated
• ucchritāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-√śri (धातु) → ucchrita (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; agrees with ‘padmāni’

• sahasraśaḥ: by the thousand
• sahasraśaḥ: Sankhya/Pramana (Measure/परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sahasraśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (in thousands)

Speaker

Narrator within the Māhātmya (continuing Śiva-centered narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Sarasvatī-srotaḥ (Sarasvatī current at Prabhāsa)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A westward-flowing Sarasvatī stream suddenly brightens; countless golden lotuses rise above the water, filling the surface like a luminous carpet under a sacred sky.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Kāñcana (gold)
• Lotus (Padma)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is not merely water but a manifestation of divine power; sacred nature itself becomes the instrument of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, through the miraculous rising of a Sarasvatī stream and golden lotuses as marks of the place’s sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse describes the divine manifestation that enables later dakṣiṇā and yajña-completion.