Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । इत्युक्तस्तैस्तदा ब्रह्मा मुनिभिस्तपसोज्ज्वलैः । वीक्षांचक्रे तदा सर्वा मूर्तिमत्यश्च निम्नगाः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | ityuktastaistadā brahmā munibhistapasojjvalaiḥ | vīkṣāṃcakre tadā sarvā mūrtimatyaśca nimnagāḥ

Translation

اِیشور نے فرمایا: جب تپسیا سے درخشاں رشیوں نے یوں عرض کیا تو اُس وقت برہما نے سب ندیوں کو—جو مجسم دھارائیں ہیں اور نیچے کی سمت بہتی ہیں—نگاہِ التفات سے دیکھا۔

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• उक्तः: having been spoken to
• उक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन; कर्मणि (having been addressed)

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन

• मुनिभिः: by sages
• मुनिभिः: Kartr-karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृ-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• तपसः: of austerity
• तपसः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• उज्ज्वलैः: radiant
• उज्ज्वलैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उज्ज्वल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying munibhiḥ)

• वीक्षाम्: a look; observation
• वीक्षाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• चक्रे: made; cast
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying nimnagāḥ)

• मूर्तिमत्यः: embodied; having form
• मूर्तिमत्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूर्तिमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying nimnagāḥ)

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

• निम्नगाः: rivers
• निम्नगाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निम्नगा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), बहुवचन; नदीवाचक (rivers)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) narrating

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (implied by feminine vocatives in the passage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā, addressed by tapas-radiant sages, surveys the world’s rivers as embodied goddesses—each a luminous, flowing presence—before the narrative draws them toward Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Brahmā
• Munis/Ṛṣis
• Nimnagāḥ (rivers)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred rivers are not accidental; Purāṇic dharma frames them as consciously ordained channels of purification and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The action unfolds within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, preparing the selection/manifestation of a tīrtha-river for ritual purification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse supports the forthcoming provision for abhiṣeka/snānā by identifying rivers as the ritual medium, though no step-by-step rite is detailed here.