Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

उच्चैस्तरं महाशैलमवलोक्य सरस्वती । अथ वेगेन रुद्धेन गिरिणा विस्मिता सती

Transliteration

uccaistaraṃ mahāśailamavalokya sarasvatī | atha vegena ruddhena giriṇā vismitā satī

Translation

Thấy ngọn núi cao vời và đồ sộ, Sarasvatī—dòng chảy mau lẹ bị đỉnh núi ấy ngăn lại—liền sững sờ kinh ngạc.

Word by Word

• uccaiḥ: highly, very high
• uccaiḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uccais (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) = adverb

• taram: more, exceedingly
• taram: Kriya-viseshana (Degree)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tara (प्रातिपदिक/तद्धित)
• Form: अव्यय (तुलनावाचक) = comparative marker; 'more/exceedingly' (used adverbially with uccaiḥ)

• mahā-śailam: the great mountain
• mahā-śailam: Karma (Object of avalokya)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + śaila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'महान् शैलः' (great mountain)

• avalokya: having looked at
• avalokya: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-√lok (धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• sarasvatī: Sarasvatī
• sarasvatī: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अनन्तर/प्रस्ताव) = particle 'then/now'

• vegena: by force, by speed
• vegena: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vega (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• ruddhena: blocked, obstructing
• ruddhena: Karana (Qualifier of instrument)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rudh (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (giriṇā): 'by the mountain which has blocked'

• giriṇā: by the mountain
• giriṇā: Karana (Instrument/agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• vismitā: astonished
• vismitā: Karta (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-√smi (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेयविशेषणम् (of sarasvatī)

• satī: the noble lady
• satī: Karta (Appositional epithet)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satī (प्रातिपदिक; √as + शतृ/स्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण (as epithet: 'the virtuous lady')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; narrative description following Sarasvatī’s words)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual frame)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A powerful river-goddess (Sarasvatī) surging forward, suddenly checked by a towering, dark-blue mountain; her expression shifts to astonishment as spray rises and the landscape glows with tīrtha-aura.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Mountain (Giri/Mahāśaila)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Nature and divinity are interwoven in Purāṇic sacred geography; the river’s ‘checked flow’ signals a destined turning point that sanctifies the place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa’s mythic landscape where Sarasvatī’s course meets a great mountain near the sea.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly in this verse.