Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

अत्र गंगासरस्वत्योः संगमे लोकविश्रुते । श्राद्धं कुर्युर्द्विजश्रेष्ठ ते यास्यंति परां गतिम्

Transliteration

atra gaṃgāsarasvatyoḥ saṃgame lokaviśrute | śrāddhaṃ kuryurdvijaśreṣṭha te yāsyaṃti parāṃ gatim

Translation

یہاں گنگا اور سرسوتی کے عالمگیر مشہور سنگم پر، اے دِوِج شریشٹھ! جو شِرادھ کرتے ہیں وہ اعلیٰ ترین گتی کو پاتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• gaṃgā-sarasvatyoḥ: of Gaṅgā and Sarasvatī
• gaṃgā-sarasvatyoḥ: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā + sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (गङ्गा च सरस्वती च)

• saṃgame: at the confluence
• saṃgame: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• lokaviśrute: well-known in the world
• lokaviśrute: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: loka + viśruta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लोके विश्रुतः)

• śrāddham: śrāddha rite
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kuryuḥ: should do, may perform
• kuryuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative/संभावना-विधि), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• dvijaśreṣṭha: O best of the twice-born
• dvijaśreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्विजानां श्रेष्ठः)

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• yāsyanti: will go
• yāsyanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √yā (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (future), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• parām: supreme
• parām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘गतिम्’)

• gatim: state, destination
• gatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Mahādeva (contextual continuation from prior verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā–Sarasvatī Saṅgama (loka-viśruta)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-śreṣṭha is directly addressed; broader frame likely a narrator addressing a king/sage audience in the chapter.

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a broad confluence, two differently colored streams meet; a dvija performs śrāddha with darbha grass, piṇḍa offerings, and water libations; subtle presence of pitṛs receiving offerings, and sacred banners marking the famed saṅgama.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Sarasvatī
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring ancestors through śrāddha at a powerful confluence-tīrtha is upheld as a dharmic act that leads to the highest spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The renowned Gaṅgā–Sarasvatī confluence (saṅgama) described in the Arbuda Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha—ancestral rites/offerings—performed at the saṅgama.