Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

देवास्ते न मनुष्यास्ते नदीस्तिस्र पिबंति ये । चंद्रभागां च गंगां च तथा देवीं सस्स्वतीम्

Transliteration

devāste na manuṣyāste nadīstisra pibaṃti ye | caṃdrabhāgāṃ ca gaṃgāṃ ca tathā devīṃ sassvatīm

Translation

ఈ మూడు నదుల—చంద్రభాగా, గంగా, అలాగే దేవీ సరస్వతీ—జలాన్ని పానము చేసేవారు మనుషులు కాదు; వారు నిజంగా దేవతలే।

Word by Word

• devāḥ: gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्तृपद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम, कर्ता

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• manuṣyāḥ: humans
• manuṣyāḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्तृपद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• nadīḥ: rivers
• nadīḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्म (object)

• tisraḥ: three
• tisraḥ: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (qualifying nadīḥ)

• pibanti: drink
• pibanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pā (धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• caṃdrabhāgām: Candrabhāgā (river)
• caṃdrabhāgām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdrabhāgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (one of the rivers)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• gaṅgām: Gaṅgā
• gaṅgām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb), समुच्चयार्थे (likewise/also)

• devīm: the goddess
• devīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (Sarasvatī as goddess)

• sarasvatīm: Sarasvatī
• sarasvatīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (name)

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextual praise within the Māhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Triveṇī (Candrabhāgā–Gaṅgā–Sarasvatī) at Prabhāsa

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three luminous river currents symbolically braided; pilgrims and sages sip water while subtle divine figures (devas) appear in the sky, indicating ‘they are gods’.

Characters & Entities

• Candrabhāgā
• Gaṅgā
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence for tīrthas: contact with sacred river-waters is praised as a mark of divine merit and elevated destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s sacred river-confluence culture, especially the revered presence of Sarasvatī alongside Candrabhāgā and Gaṅgā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Drinking (pāna/ācamana) of the holy river-waters is extolled as a meritorious act.