Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

स्वर्गनिश्रेणिसंभूता प्रभासे तु सरस्वती । नापुण्यवद्भिः संप्राप्तुं पुंभिः शक्या महानदी

Transliteration

svarganiśreṇisaṃbhūtā prabhāse tu sarasvatī | nāpuṇyavadbhiḥ saṃprāptuṃ puṃbhiḥ śakyā mahānadī

Translation

ณ ประภาสะ สรัสวตีบังเกิดดุจบันไดสู่สวรรค์ มหานทีนี้ย่อมไม่อาจเข้าถึงได้โดยมนุษย์ผู้ไร้บุญกุศล

Word by Word

• स्वर्ग-निश्रेणि-संभूता: arisen from the heavenly stairway
• स्वर्ग-निश्रेणि-संभूता: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + निश्रेणि (प्रातिपदिक) + संभूत (कृदन्त, √भू धातु with सम्- उपसर्ग)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त-क्त (past passive participle) ‘संभूत’

• प्रभासे: in Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (particle: ‘indeed/but’)

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• अपुण्यवद्भिः: by the unmeritorious
• अपुण्यवद्भिः: Karana/Agent-instrument (By/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपुण्यवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; ‘अपुण्यवत्’ = lacking merit

• संप्राप्तुम्: to reach
• संप्राप्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√प्राप् (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive), क्रियार्थक; ‘to reach/attain’

• पुंभिः: by men
• पुंभिः: Karana/Agent-instrument (By/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन

• शक्या: possible (to be reached)
• शक्या: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate/भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्य (कृदन्त, √शक् धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कृदन्त-यत्/णीय (potential passive participle)

• महानदी: the great river
• महानदी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘great river’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-Sarasvatī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Prabhāsa, the Sarasvatī rises as a luminous staircase of water ascending into the sky; worthy pilgrims ascend in light, while unmeritorious figures remain unable to approach, separated by a subtle veil.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Sarasvatī
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-access is framed as karmic: inner merit enables outer pilgrimage, and the site becomes a ‘ladder to heaven’ for the worthy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarasvatī as the great river at Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite; it teaches eligibility (adhikāra) based on puṇya for approaching the tīrtha.