Skanda Purana — Vishnu Khanda, Shloka 153

Devanagari script

अथार्द्धयोजनं गत्वा नदीं पश्चान्मुखो ययौ । सरयूं पुण्यसलिलां ददर्श रघुनंदनः

Transliteration

athārddhayojanaṃ gatvā nadīṃ paścānmukho yayau | sarayūṃ puṇyasalilāṃ dadarśa raghunaṃdanaḥ

Translation

แล้วครั้นเสด็จไปได้ครึ่งโยชน์ ก็หันกลับสู่ฝั่งแม่น้ำ; รฆุนันทนะได้ทอดพระเนตรแม่น้ำสรยู ผู้มีสายน้ำอันเป็นบุญกุศลศักดิ์สิทธิ์

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/now)

• अर्द्धयोजनम्: half a yojana (distance)
• अर्द्धयोजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्द्ध + योजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः: ‘योजनस्य अर्द्धम्’ (measure)

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• नदीम्: the river
• नदीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पश्चात्: afterwards/behind
• पश्चात्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/देशवाचक-अव्यय (after/behind)

• मुखः: facing (backward)
• मुखः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (रघुनंदनः); अर्थे: ‘पश्चान्मुखः’ = facing backward

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सरयूम्: Sarayū (river)
• सरयूम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरयू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पुण्यसलिलाम्: with holy waters
• पुण्यसलिलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य + सलिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयसमासः: ‘पुण्यं सलिलं यस्याः/या’ (as adjective to सरयूम्)

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• रघुनंदनः: the descendant/son of Raghu (Rāma)
• रघुनंदनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रघु + नन्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (षष्ठी): ‘रघोः नन्दनः’

Speaker

Deductive: Brahmā to Nārada (Vaiṣṇava Khaṇḍa framing); narrative voice describing Rāma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarayū

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāma, having walked half a yojana, turns back with composed face; the Sarayū spreads wide with shimmering holy waters, ghāṭas and trees along the bank, the air calm as if holding breath before a great transition.

Characters & Entities

• Raghunandana (Rāma)
• Sarayū
• Ayodhyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy rivers are living tirthas; turning toward them with reverence aligns one with purification and auspicious transition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarayū river at Ayodhyā, praised for its puṇya (sanctifying) waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, reverence for and contact with the sacred river (snāna/ācamana/upasparśa) is suggested by the narrative setting.