Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

तालः सुपर्णश्च महाध्वजौ तौ सुपूजितौ रामजनार्दनाभ्याम् । उच्चैर्जगुः स्वप्सरसो दिवानिशं वाचं चोचुर्गम्यतां तीर्थयात्राम्

Transliteration

tālaḥ suparṇaśca mahādhvajau tau supūjitau rāmajanārdanābhyām | uccairjaguḥ svapsaraso divāniśaṃ vācaṃ cocurgamyatāṃ tīrthayātrām

Translation

Hai đại kỳ—Tāla và Suparṇa—được Rāma và Janārdana tôn kính cúng dường, bỗng vang lên rền rĩ; và các thiên nữ apsaras, ngày đêm, cất lời truyền báo: “Hãy lên đường hành hương đến các tīrtha.”

Word by Word

• tālaḥ: Tāla (a standard/flagstaff name)
• tālaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• suparṇaḥ: Suparṇa (Garuda)
• suparṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suparṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• mahā-dhvajau: the two great banners
• mahā-dhvajau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + dhvaja (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: कर्मधारय: mahā ca tau dhvajau, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• tau: those two
• tau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), द्विवचन (Dual)

• supūjitau: well-honoured/worshipped
• supūjitau: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su + √pūj (पूज् धातु) + क्त
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; विशेषणम् (mahādhvajau/tau इति)

• rāma-janārdanābhyām: by Rama and Janardana
• rāma-janārdanābhyām: Karana (Agent/Instrument in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma + janārdana (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (रामा च जनार्दनश्च), तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), द्विवचन (Dual)

• uccaiḥ: loudly
• uccaiḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uccaiḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (manner adverb)

• jaguḥ: sang
• jaguḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gai (गै धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• su-apsarasaḥ: the lovely apsarases
• su-apsarasaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su + apsaras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय: su (शोभना) apsarasaḥ, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), बहुवचन

• divā-niśam: day and night
• divā-niśam: Kāla (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: divā + niśā (अव्यय-द्वय)
• Form: अव्यय-द्वन्द्व (day and night) → कालवाचक-अव्यय (continuously)

• vācam: speech/words
• vācam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• gamyatām: let (them) go / proceed
• gamyatām: Kriya (Injunctive action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम् धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — आज्ञार्थे ‘let it be gone/let (one) go’

• tīrtha-yātrām: pilgrimage to the sacred ford
• tīrtha-yātrām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha + yātrā (प्रातिपदिक-द्वय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष: tīrthasya yātrā, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (contextual deduction within Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (tīrtha-saṅghāta: network of tīrthas)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two great banners, Tāla and Suparṇa, honored by Rāma and Janārdana, resound as if alive; apsarases sing continuously, urging all to undertake tīrtha-yātrā.

Characters & Entities

• Rāma (Balarāma)
• Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa)
• Apsaras
• Tāla-dhvaja
• Suparṇa-dhvaja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage (tīrthayātrā) is upheld as a dharmic response to turning points in life—an act of purification, humility, and alignment with divine prompting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within this Māhātmya, the pilgrimage impulse culminates at Prabhāsakṣetra, the celebrated tīrtha of the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse explicitly urges tīrthayātrā (undertaking pilgrimage), implying customary tīrtha-dharma such as snāna, darśana, and offerings at sacred sites.