Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

श्रीदेव्युवाच । प्रेततीर्थमिति प्रोक्तं पश्चाद्गात्रविमोचनम् । वद मे देवदेवेश प्रेततीर्थस्य कारणम्

Transliteration

śrīdevyuvāca | pretatīrthamiti proktaṃ paścādgātravimocanam | vada me devadeveśa pretatīrthasya kāraṇam

Translation

ศรีเทวีตรัสว่า “เบื้องแรกเรียกว่า ‘เปรตะ-ตีรถะ’ แล้วภายหลังเรียกว่า ‘คาตระ-วิโมจน’ ข้าแต่เทวเทวेशะ โปรดบอกเหตุว่าไฉนจึงได้ชื่อว่า เปรตะ-ตีรถะ”

Word by Word

• श्रीदेवी: Śrī Devī
• श्रीदेवी: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री (प्रातिपदिक) + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रीमान्/श्रीयुक्ता देवी)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• प्रेततीर्थम्: Preta-tīrtha
• प्रेततीर्थम्: Karma (Quoted item/उक्तवस्तु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रेतस्य तीर्थम्)

• इति: thus; as
• इति: Quotation marker (इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्ति-निपात (quotative particle)

• प्रोक्तम्: was said; was declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (said/declared)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Adverbial (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (afterwards)

• गात्रविमोचनम्: release of the body/limbs
• गात्रविमोचनम्: Karma (Quoted item/उक्तवस्तु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र (प्रातिपदिक) + विमोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गात्रस्य विमोचनम्)

• वद: tell; speak
• वद: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मे: to me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन (enclitic form)

• देवदेवेश: O Lord of the gods
• देवदेवेश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देवेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (देवानां देवेशः)

• प्रेततीर्थस्य: of the Preta-tīrtha
• प्रेततीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेत (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• कारणम्: cause; reason
• कारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Preta-tīrtha / Gātra-vimocana

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devadeveśa (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, seated beside Śiva, asks about a mysterious tīrtha whose name shifts from ‘Preta-tīrtha’ to ‘Gātra-vimocana’; the background hints at a sacred pool and cremation/śrāddha symbolism without horror.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Devī
• Deva-deveśa (Śiva)
• Preta-tīrtha
• Gātra-vimocana
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places carry layered names that preserve spiritual history; inquiry into a tīrtha’s origin deepens faith and right understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Preta-tīrtha (also referred to as Gātra-vimocana) within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; the verse introduces the tīrtha’s name and requests its sacred etiology.