Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

तीर्थानि देवतानां च पुण्यान्यायतनानि च । तीर्थं पंचनदं चक्रुः प्रजानां पतयस्तथा

Transliteration

tīrthāni devatānāṃ ca puṇyānyāyatanāni ca | tīrthaṃ paṃcanadaṃ cakruḥ prajānāṃ patayastathā

Translation

เขาทั้งหลายได้สถาปนาท่าน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์และสถานสถิตอันเป็นบุญของเหล่าเทวะ; และบรรดาผู้เป็นเจ้าแห่งประชาชนก็ได้ตั้งตีรถะนามว่า ‘ปัญจนท’ เพื่อเกื้อกูลชนทั้งปวง

Word by Word

• tīrthāni: holy places
• tīrthāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Plural)

• devatānām: of the deities
• devatānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Feminine, Genitive, Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• puṇyāni: holy/meritorious
• puṇyāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Plural)

• āyatanāni: abodes/shrines
• āyatanāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), बहुवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Plural)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• tīrtham: a holy place
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• paṃcanadam: Pañcanada (five-river tirtha)
• paṃcanadam: Karma (Object-apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃca + nada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); द्विगु-समासः पञ्च नदाः यस्मिन्/यत् (five-river)

• cakruḥ: made/established
• cakruḥ: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद (Perfect, 3rd person, Plural)

• prajānām: of the creatures/people
• prajānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Feminine, Genitive, Plural)

• patayaḥ: lords/protectors
• patayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

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

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sauti), narrating

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pañcanada

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kings and sages mark out river-fords, install deities, and consecrate a new tīrtha named Pañcanada; artisans raise shrines while priests perform fire-rites on the riverbank.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcanada Tīrtha
• Devatāḥ (deities)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Creating and maintaining tīrthas and divine sanctuaries is a public dharma that multiplies merit for society.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pañcanada Tīrtha (the sacred confluence/region of five rivers).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse speaks of founding tīrthas and sacred abodes; detailed rites appear in later verses.