Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । नागह्रदं ततो गच्छेत्तीर्थं पापप्रणाशनम् । यत्र नागैस्तपस्तप्तं रम्ये पर्वतरोधसि

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | nāgahradaṃ tato gacchettīrthaṃ pāpapraṇāśanam | yatra nāgaistapastaptaṃ ramye parvatarodhasi

Translation

ปุลัสตยะกล่าวว่า: ต่อจากนั้นพึงไปยังนาคหรทะ (Nāgahrada) ตีรถะผู้ทำลายบาป ที่ซึ่งเหล่านาคได้บำเพ็ญตบะบนไหล่เขาอันรื่นรมย์

Word by Word

• pulastyaḥ: Pulastya
• pulastyaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pulastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), एकवचनम् (sg.)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (sg.)

• nāgahradam: the serpent-lake (Nāgahrada)
• nāgahradam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga + hrada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (m.), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Acc./2nd), एकवचनम् (sg.); तत्पुरुषसमासः (नागानां ह्रदः)

• tataḥ: then/from there
• tataḥ: Desha/Kala-adhikarana (देश/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निबद्ध)
• Form: अव्ययम् (adverb): 'thereafter/from there'

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (sg.)

• tīrtham: to the sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• tīrtham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (n.), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Acc./2nd), एकवचनम् (sg.)

• pāpapraṇāśanam: sin-destroying
• pāpapraṇāśanam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa + praṇāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (n.), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Acc./2nd), एकवचनम् (sg.); विशेषणम्; तत्पुरुषसमासः (पापस्य प्रणाशनम्)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्ययम् (relative adverb: 'where')

• nāgaiḥ: by the serpents
• nāgaiḥ: Kartr-karana (कर्तृ/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (m.), तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instr./3rd), बहुवचनम् (pl.)

• tapaḥ: austerity
• tapaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (n.), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), एकवचनम् (sg.); (कर्मधारयवत् पुनरुक्ति-योगे)

• taptam: performed/practised
• taptam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tap (धातु) + tapta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गः (n.), प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom./1st), एकवचनम् (sg.); विशेषणम् (तपः इति)

• ramye: in a lovely
• ramye: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ramya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे (n.)/पुंलिङ्गे (m.) सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Loc./7th), एकवचनम् (sg.); विशेषणम्

• parvatarodhasi: on the mountain-slope/bank
• parvatarodhasi: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata + rodhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (n.), सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Loc./7th), एकवचनम् (sg.); तत्पुरुषसमासः (पर्वतस्य रोधः/रोधसि = तटे/अवरोधे)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgahrada

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (implied continuation of address)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene mountain slope opens to a sacred lake (hrada); Nāgas in semi-human form perform austerities nearby while pilgrims approach along a path guided by a sage.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Nāgahrada
• Nāgas
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places sanctified by intense tapas become powerful instruments for purification and dharmic renewal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nāgahrada tīrtha, presented as a pāpa-praṇāśana (sin-destroying) sacred site in the Arbuda region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to go (gacchet) to Nāgahrada; the verse implies tīrtha-sevā such as darśana and likely snāna, though not explicitly stated here.