Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

शशिमण्डलसङ्काशा सूर्यतेजःसमप्रभा । दृष्ट्वा त्वां हर्षिताः सर्वे कैवर्ता जाह्नवीतटे

Transliteration

śaśimaṇḍalasaṅkāśā sūryatejaḥsamaprabhā | dṛṣṭvā tvāṃ harṣitāḥ sarve kaivartā jāhnavītaṭe

Translation

งามดุจวงพระจันทร์ สว่างไสวประหนึ่งเดชแห่งสุริยะ—ครั้นเห็นเจ้าแล้ว ชาวประมงทั้งปวงก็ปลื้มปีติ ณ ฝั่งชาห์นวี (คงคา)

Word by Word

• śaśi-maṇḍala-saṅkāśā: like the orb of the moon
• śaśi-maṇḍala-saṅkāśā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śaśin (प्रातिपदिक) + maṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅkāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (śaśi-maṇḍalasya saṅkāśā ‘moon-disc-like’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; agrees with (implicit) tvam/kanyā

• sūrya-tejaḥ-sama-prabhā: of radiance equal to the sun’s splendor
• sūrya-tejaḥ-sama-prabhā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक) + sama (प्रातिपदिक) + prabhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (‘having radiance equal to the sun’s brilliance’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (धातु) → dṛṣṭvā (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund) ‘having seen’

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• harṣitāḥ: delighted
• harṣitāḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: harṣ (धातु) → harṣita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘delighted’

• sarve: all
• sarve: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; agrees with kaivartāḥ

• kaivartāḥ: fishermen
• kaivartāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaivarta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• jāhnavī-taṭe: on the bank of the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• jāhnavī-taṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāhnavī (प्रातिपदिक) + taṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (‘bank of the Jāhnavī/Gaṅgā’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Implied listener within the narration; verse addresses the maiden indirectly through description

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the Gaṅgā bank, fisherfolk gather around the newly found maiden; her complexion and aura are compared to moon and sun; the river glimmers behind them.

Characters & Entities

• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• kaivarta (fisherfolk)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Auspicious darśana brings collective joy; divine qualities are recognized through radiance, purity, and wonder.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Jāhnavī—Gaṅgā—is invoked as the sacred river setting, emphasizing tīrtha-space through the riverbank (taṭa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual instruction is stated; the verse centers on darśana and auspiciousness at the riverbank.