Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

प्रविष्टा सागरे देवि अन्वेषन्ती च बांधवम् । ततश्चित्रपथानाम तस्याश्चक्रुर्द्विजातयः

Transliteration

praviṣṭā sāgare devi anveṣantī ca bāṃdhavam | tataścitrapathānāma tasyāścakrurdvijātayaḥ

Translation

اے دیوی! وہ سمندر میں داخل ہو کر اپنے خویش کی تلاش کرتی رہی؛ تب دو بار جنم یافتہ برہمنوں نے اس کا نام ‘چترپتھا’ رکھا۔

Word by Word

• प्रविष्टा: entered
• प्रविष्टा: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-विश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, active sense), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'entered'

• सागरे: in the ocean
• सागरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• अन्वेषन्ती: seeking
• अन्वेषन्ती: Kriya (Concurrent action/सहक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-इष्/एष् (धातु: अन्वेष्) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle, शतृ), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• बांधवम्: (her) kinsman/relative
• बांधवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बान्धव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/अनुक्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'then')

• चित्रपथानाम: of (the place called) Citrapatha(s)
• चित्रपथानाम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्र-पथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; 'of the Citra-paths' (name)

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• चक्रुः: made/created
• चक्रुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• द्विजातयः: the twice-born (Brahmins etc.)
• द्विजातयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि-जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Unspecified in excerpt (within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narration; traditionally Sūta narrating to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Citrapathā (river/tīrtha)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as ‘devi’, ‘varavarṇini’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A woman (addressed as Devī) steps into the ocean, searching for a kinsman; nearby, brahmins confer and bestow the name ‘Citrapathā’ upon the emerging sacred current.

Characters & Entities

• Sea (Sāgara)
• Citrapathā
• Dvijāti (twice-born)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic sacred geography preserves memory: names of rivers and tīrthas encode devotion, search, and sanctification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Citrapathā (river-tīrtha) and its meeting with the sea within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual; it explains the tīrtha’s naming and coastal sacred setting.