Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

देवास्ते न मनुष्यास्ते नदीस्तिस्र पिबंति ये । चंद्रभागां च गंगां च तथा देवीं सस्स्वतीम्

Transliteration

devāste na manuṣyāste nadīstisra pibaṃti ye | caṃdrabhāgāṃ ca gaṃgāṃ ca tathā devīṃ sassvatīm

Translation

وہ سچ مچ دیوتا ہیں، محض انسان نہیں، جو ان تین ندیوں کا جل پیتے ہیں—چندر بھاگا، گنگا اور دیوی سرسوتی۔

Word by Word

• devāḥ: gods
• devāḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्तृपद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

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

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• manuṣyāḥ: humans
• manuṣyāḥ: Karta (Predicate/कर्तृपद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manuṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

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

• nadīḥ: rivers
• nadīḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; कर्म (object)

• tisraḥ: three
• tisraḥ: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (qualifying nadīḥ)

• pibanti: drink
• pibanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pā (धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• caṃdrabhāgām: Candrabhāgā (river)
• caṃdrabhāgām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṃdrabhāgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (one of the rivers)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• gaṅgām: Gaṅgā
• gaṅgām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• tathā: likewise/also
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb), समुच्चयार्थे (likewise/also)

• devīm: the goddess
• devīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (Sarasvatī as goddess)

• sarasvatīm: Sarasvatī
• sarasvatīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (name)

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextual praise within the Māhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Triveṇī (Candrabhāgā–Gaṅgā–Sarasvatī) at Prabhāsa

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three luminous river currents symbolically braided; pilgrims and sages sip water while subtle divine figures (devas) appear in the sky, indicating ‘they are gods’.

Characters & Entities

• Candrabhāgā
• Gaṅgā
• Sarasvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence for tīrthas: contact with sacred river-waters is praised as a mark of divine merit and elevated destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s sacred river-confluence culture, especially the revered presence of Sarasvatī alongside Candrabhāgā and Gaṅgā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Drinking (pāna/ācamana) of the holy river-waters is extolled as a meritorious act.