Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

एवं ज्ञात्वा तु तत्रस्था भगिनी तस्य दुःखिता । चित्रा नदी ततो भूत्वा स्वसा तस्य महात्मनः

Transliteration

evaṃ jñātvā tu tatrasthā bhaginī tasya duḥkhitā | citrā nadī tato bhūtvā svasā tasya mahātmanaḥ

Translation

ఇట్లు తెలిసికొని అక్కడ నిలిచిన అతని సోదరి దుఃఖితయై; అనంతరం ఆ మహాత్ముని సహోదరిగా ‘చిత్రా’ నదిగా మారింది.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb: 'thus')

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive): 'having known'

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: contrast/emphasis)

• तत्रस्था: being there
• तत्रस्था: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत्र-स्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'standing/being there'

• भगिनी: the sister
• भगिनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; पुं/नपुंसक-समर्थ (of him)

• दुःखिता: sorrowful
• दुःखिता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःखित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• चित्रा: Citrā
• चित्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (proper name)

• नदी: a river
• नदी: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/अनुक्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'then/from there')

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): 'having become'

• स्वसा: (his) sister
• स्वसा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वसृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled one
• महात्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified in excerpt (within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narration; traditionally Sūta narrating to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Citrā-nadī (sister-formed river)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sorrowful sister stands at the sacred spot; as she grieves, her form dissolves into flowing water, becoming the river Citrā; nearby are steps of a kuṇḍa and the Sun shrine; the transformation is depicted as luminous water emerging from her silhouette.

Characters & Entities

• Citrā (river)
• Citra (person)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places arise from profound emotions and dharmic narratives; compassion and kinship become sanctified as tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Citrā river, presented as a sacred river-tīrtha within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse provides the tīrtha’s origin, supporting later pilgrimage practice.