Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

समुद्रेण समेता तु यत्र सा पूर्ववाहिनी । यत्रर्षितोया लभ्येत तत्र किं मृग्यते परम्

Transliteration

samudreṇa sametā tu yatra sā pūrvavāhinī | yatrarṣitoyā labhyeta tatra kiṃ mṛgyate param

Translation

Nơi nàng hòa vào đại dương mà vẫn chảy về phương Đông, nơi có thể thọ nhận Ṛṣitoyā—còn cần tìm kiếm mục đích tối thượng nào hơn thế nữa?

Word by Word

• समुद्रेण: by/with the ocean
• समुद्रेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन — Neuter, Instrumental (3rd), Singular

• समेता: joined/associated
• समेता: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + इ (धातु) → समेत (कृदन्त-क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त — Feminine, Nominative, Singular; past passive participle

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक-सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb of place)

• सा: she/that (river)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular (pronoun)

• पूर्ववाहिनी: the east-flowing (river)
• पूर्ववाहिनी: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व + वाहिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular; समासः कर्मधारय (पूर्वा च सा वाहिनी च)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (relative adverb of place)

• ऋषितोया: the sages' water / holy water
• ऋषितोया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि + तोया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative, Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ऋषेः तोया)

• लभ्येत: may be obtained
• लभ्येत: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद — Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (adverb of place)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular (interrogative pronoun)

• मृग्यते: is sought
• मृग्यते: Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृग् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive) — Present, 3rd person, Singular; passive voice

• परम्: higher/greater
• परम्: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the assembled Ṛṣis (contextual attribution within Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ṛṣitoyā–Samudra saṅgama (pūrvavāhinī)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous confluence: river ribbon meets vast ocean; the river’s current subtly turns eastward; pilgrims stand at the meeting point offering water and prayers under a wide sky.

Characters & Entities

• Samudra (Ocean)
• Ṛṣitoyā
• Pūrvavāhinī (east-flowing stream)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with a supremely sanctified tīrtha is itself a consummation of spiritual seeking—nothing higher is required.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ṛṣitoyā at Mahodaya in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, especially where it meets the ocean.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is to seek and obtain the sacred Ṛṣitoyā water (for snāna/ācamanā), highlighting its supreme merit.