Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततः पश्चिमतो गच्छेन्न्यंकुमत्यास्तटे शुभे । दक्षिणां दिशमाश्रित्य स्थितं तीर्थं महाप्रभम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tataḥ paścimato gacchennyaṃkumatyāstaṭe śubhe | dakṣiṇāṃ diśamāśritya sthitaṃ tīrthaṃ mahāprabham

Translation

Īśvara bersabda: Kemudian hendaklah seseorang berjalan ke arah barat, ke tebing suci Sungai Nyaṃkumatī yang membawa keberkatan. Menghadap ke arah selatan, di sana berdiri sebuah tīrtha yang amat bercahaya dan mulia.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (nominative singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् लकार (perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Apadana/Adverbial (Source/sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/क्रमवाचक (from there/thereafter)

• पश्चिमतः: westwards
• पश्चिमतः: Adhikarana (Direction/अधिकरण-दिक्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक) + तसिल् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: दिक्-निर्देशक अव्यय (directional adverb: westwards/from the west)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन (injunctive instruction)

• न्यंकुमत्याः: of the Nyaṅkumatī (river)
• न्यंकुमत्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्यंकुमती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; एकवचन (genitive singular)

• तटे: on the bank
• तटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन (locative singular)

• शुभे: auspicious
• शुभे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with तटे)

• दक्षिणाम्: southern
• दक्षिणाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with दिशम्)

• दिशम्: direction
• दिशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (accusative singular)

• आश्रित्य: having turned to
• आश्रित्य: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive relation/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु) → आश्रित्य (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having resorted to/turning to)

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with तीर्थम्)

• तीर्थम्: a sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (accusative singular)

• महाप्रभम्: very splendid
• महाप्रभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाप्रभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with तीर्थम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim party moves westward along an auspicious riverbank; a luminous tirtha-marker stands ahead, approached while facing south; the landscape suggests coastal Saurashtra with sacred signposts.

Characters & Entities

• Nyaṃkumatī
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as a disciplined journey through sacred geography, where direction and place are part of the sādhana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A “mahāprabha” tīrtha situated on the auspicious bank of the Nyaṃkumatī in Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Travel instruction: go westward to the Nyaṃkumatī bank and orient oneself southward at the tīrtha.