Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

द्रष्टुं तीर्थान्यनेकानि बभ्राम स महीतले । सुराष्ट्रदेशे संप्राप्तः क्षेत्रे वस्त्रापथे द्विजः

Transliteration

draṣṭuṃ tīrthānyanekāni babhrāma sa mahītale | surāṣṭradeśe saṃprāptaḥ kṣetre vastrāpathe dvijaḥ

Translation

เพื่อทอดพระเนตรทิรถะนานาประการ พระองค์จาริกไปทั่วพื้นพิภพ แล้วพราหมณ์ผู้นั้นก็มาถึงแคว้นสุราษฏระ ณ เขตศักดิ์สิทธิ์วัสตราปถะ

Word by Word

• द्रष्टुम्: to see
• द्रष्टुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive), प्रयोजनार्थ; ‘to see’

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

• अनेकानि: many
• अनेकानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; adjective to तीर्थानि

• बभ्राम: wandered
• बभ्राम: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Pronoun

• महीतले: on the earth’s surface
• महीतले: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: मह्याः तलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• सुराष्ट्रदेशे: in the Saurāṣṭra region
• सुराष्ट्रदेशे: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुराष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक) + देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: सुराष्ट्रस्य देशः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; Locative singular

• संप्राप्तः: having arrived
• संप्राप्तः: Karta (Predicate to dvijaḥ/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-प्र-√आप् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘having arrived’

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred field
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• वस्त्रापथे: at Vastrāpatha
• वस्त्रापथे: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्रापथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वस्त्राणां पथः/वस्त्र-अपथ इति नाम); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; Locative singular

• द्विजः: the Brahmin (twice-born)
• द्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

Speaker

Sūta (deduced narrator)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone brāhmaṇa pilgrim (Vāmana) walking across the earth, then entering Surāṣṭra—coastal light, sacred groves, and the threshold of Vastrāpatha-kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Surāṣṭra
• Vastrāpatha
• Tīrthas
• Vāmana (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is a dharmic pursuit aimed at darśana—seeking transformative encounters with tīrthas and their presiding divinities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra in Surāṣṭra is explicitly named as the destination.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse emphasizes tīrthadarśana (visiting/seeing sacred places) as a religious act, without detailing a specific ritual.