Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

श्रीप्रह्लाद उवाच । ततो गच्छेद्द्विजश्रेष्ठा रथांगाख्यं महोदधिम् । चक्रांका यत्र पाषाणा दृश्यंते मुक्तिदायकाः

Transliteration

śrīprahlāda uvāca | tato gaccheddvijaśreṣṭhā rathāṃgākhyaṃ mahodadhim | cakrāṃkā yatra pāṣāṇā dṛśyaṃte muktidāyakāḥ

Translation

Wika ni Śrī Prahlāda: Pagkaraan, O pinakamainam sa mga brāhmaṇa, marapat na magtungo sa dakilang karagatang tinatawag na Rathāṅga, kung saan nakikita ang mga batong may tatak ng Cakra, na nagbibigay ng kalayaan (mokṣa).

Word by Word

• śrī-prahlādaḥ: Śrī Prahlāda
• śrī-prahlādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक) + prahlāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular; कर्मधारय (श्रीमान् प्रह्लादः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd person, Singular

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: then/from there)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular (injunctive sense: should go)

• dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ: O best of the twice-born (brāhmaṇas)
• dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, बहुवचन — Masculine, Vocative, Plural; तत्पुरुष (द्विजेषु श्रेष्ठाः)

• rathāṅga-ākhyam: named Rathāṅga
• rathāṅga-ākhyam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rathāṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + ākhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular; तत्पुरुष (रथाङ्ग इति आख्यं = named ‘Rathāṅga’)

• mahā-udadhiम्: the great ocean/sea
• mahā-udadhiम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + udadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular; कर्मधारय (महान् उदधिः)

• cakra-aṅkāḥ: marked with a discus (chakra)
• cakra-aṅkāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cakra (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; तत्पुरुष (चक्रेण अङ्किताः)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• pāṣāṇāḥ: stones/rocks
• pāṣāṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṣāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• dṛśyante: are seen/appear
• dṛśyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद — Present, 3rd person, Plural, Ātmanepada (passive sense: are seen)

• mukti-dāyakāḥ: granting liberation
• mukti-dāyakāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक) + dāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural; तत्पुरुष (मुक्तिं ददाति)

Speaker

Śrī Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rathāṅga Mahodadhi

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-śreṣṭhas (best of brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prahlāda instructs brāhmaṇas to proceed to the vast ocean called Rathāṅga; on the shore, dark rocks display natural cakra-like imprints, and pilgrims gaze in wonder, hands folded.

Characters & Entities

• Rathāṅga (Cakra)
• Mahodadhi (Ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is revelatory: even natural objects marked with divine symbols become supports for liberation when approached with faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rathāṅgākhya Mahodadhi—an ocean-tīrtha associated with the Cakra (Viṣṇu’s Disc) marks.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage instruction: ‘one should go’ to the Rathāṅga ocean-tīrtha and behold the cakra-marked stones.