Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

स भ्रांतः सर्वतीर्थानि प्रभासाद्यानि कृत्स्नशः । तपस्वी नियताहारो भिक्षान्नकृतभोजनः

Transliteration

sa bhrāṃtaḥ sarvatīrthāni prabhāsādyāni kṛtsnaśaḥ | tapasvī niyatāhāro bhikṣānnakṛtabhojanaḥ

Translation

他遍游一切圣渡口，自普罗婆娑（Prabhāsa）起无不周遍；以苦行者之身，节制饮食，唯以乞施所得之食（bhikṣā）维持生命。

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भ्रान्तः: having wandered
• भ्रान्तः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु) → भ्रान्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वतीर्थानि: all sacred places
• सर्वतीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वाणि तीर्थानि)

• प्रभासाद्यानि: beginning with Prabhāsa
• प्रभासाद्यानि: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभास + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (प्रभासः आदिः येषाम् = beginning with Prabhāsa)

• कृत्स्नशः: completely
• कृत्स्नशः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृत्स्न (प्रातिपदिक) + शस् (अव्ययीभाव/तद्धित-अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), शस्-प्रत्ययान्त (entirely, wholly)

• तपस्वी: an ascetic
• तपस्वी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस्विन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नियताहारः: of regulated diet
• नियताहारः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नियत + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (नियतः आहारः यस्य)

• भिक्षान्नकृतभोजनः: one whose meal was made of alms-food
• भिक्षान्नकृतभोजनः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिक्षा + अन्न + कृत + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (भिक्षान्नेन कृतं भोजनं यस्य)

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (as starting point) and ‘all tīrthas’ (general)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king-ascetic travels from tīrtha to tīrtha, beginning at Prabhāsa, carrying minimal belongings, living on alms, with the sea/river and shrines marking his route.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-yātrā is ideally joined with tapas—simplicity, regulated living, and humility—so that pilgrimage becomes inner purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa is named as a leading tīrtha among many visited, situating the narrative within the broader sacred map of India.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrim’s discipline is indicated: regulated diet and living on alms (bhikṣā), a traditional yātrā-vrata style of conduct.