Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

प्रभासाद्यानि तीर्थानि पुलस्त्यायाह पद्मभूः । न यैस्तत्राप्लुतं चैव किं तैस्तीर्थमुपासितम्

Transliteration

prabhāsādyāni tīrthāni pulastyāyāha padmabhūḥ | na yaistatrāplutaṃ caiva kiṃ taistīrthamupāsitam

Translation

莲生者（梵天 Brahmā）对普拉斯提亚谈及以普拉婆娑为首的诸圣渡处： “未曾在那里沐浴者，纵去依止他处诸提尔塔，又真正得到了什么？”

Word by Word

• प्रभास-आद्यानि: beginning with Prabhāsa
• प्रभास-आद्यानि: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण—‘तीर्थानि’ इति विशेष्यस्य

• तीर्थानि: holy places, tīrthas
• तीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• पुलस्त्याय: to Pulastya
• पुलस्त्याय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), एकवचन; सम्प्रदान (recipient)

• आह: said
• आह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पद्मभूः: Padmabhū (Brahmā)
• पद्मभूः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्मभू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘पद्मे भूः यस्य सः’ (Brahmā)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• यैः: by whom/with which
• यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धे—‘by whom/with which’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• आप्लुतम्: (has been) bathed/immersed
• आप्लुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + प्लु (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘स्नातम्/अवगाहितम्’ अर्थे

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

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• तीर्थम्: a tīrtha
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• उपासितम्: worshipped/served
• उपासितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + आस् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘सेवितम्/आराधितम्’

Speaker

Nārada (quoting Brahmā’s statement to Pulastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pulastya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā (Padmabhū) instructs Pulastya, pointing toward a sacred map of tīrthas with Prabhāsa shining foremost; the verse framed like a proclamation that bathing is the decisive act.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Pulastya
• Padmabhū (Brahmā)
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain tīrthas are portrayed as spiritually foundational; bathing there is praised as a decisive purifier within purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa tīrtha (the Prabhāsa-kṣetra region, closely linked with Somanātha).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing/immersion) at Prabhāsa is implied as essential for fully realizing tīrtha merit.