Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

विप्रा ऊचुः । देव सारस्वतो नाम कुरुक्षेत्रे द्विजोत्तमः । ऊर्द्ध्वरेताः सरस्वत्यां तपस्तेपे जितेन्द्रियः

Transliteration

viprā ūcuḥ | deva sārasvato nāma kurukṣetre dvijottamaḥ | ūrddhvaretāḥ sarasvatyāṃ tapastepe jitendriyaḥ

Translation

Os brāhmaṇas disseram: “Ó rei, em Kurukṣetra há um brāhmaṇa eminente chamado Deva Sārasvata; guardando o brahmacarya e dominando os sentidos, ele realizou austeridades junto ao Sarasvatī.”

Word by Word

• viprāḥ: the brāhmaṇas
• viprāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• deva: O king / O lord
• deva: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• sārasvataḥ: Sārasvata (a sage)
• sārasvataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sārasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Visheshana (Appositive qualifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-प्रयोगे (indeclinable used as ‘by name’)

• kurukṣetre: in Kurukṣetra
• kurukṣetre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuru-kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• dvijottamaḥ: the best of twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• dvijottamaḥ: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• ūrddhva-retāḥ: celibate / one with upward semen
• ūrddhva-retāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ūrddhva + retas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); बहुव्रीहिः—‘ऊर्ध्वं रेतो यस्य सः’

• sarasvatyām: in/at the Sarasvatī (river)
• sarasvatyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• tepe: performed (austerities)
• tepe: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tap (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• jita-indriyaḥ: self-controlled
• jita-indriyaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jita (कृदन्त; √ji) + indriya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); ‘जितानि इन्द्रियाणि येन सः’

Speaker

Viprāḥ (the brāhmaṇas)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kurukṣetra–Sarasvatī tīrtha (Sārasvata-āśrama context)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brāhmaṇas narrate to the king: a vision of Deva Sārasvata on the Sarasvatī bank, seated in austerity, matted hair, calm gaze, river shimmering beside him.

Characters & Entities

• Deva Sārasvata
• Kurukṣetra
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual authority is grounded in tapas and self-mastery; such sages become reliable guides for interpreting wonders.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kurukṣetra and the Sarasvatī are explicitly invoked as sanctified locations associated with a great ascetic.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) and indriya-jaya (sense-control) are highlighted as disciplines, though no specific rite is prescribed.