Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

प्रह्लाद उवाच । तदाप्रभृति विप्रेंद्राः स कूपो नृगसंज्ञया । वरदानाच्च कृष्णस्य पावनः सर्वदेहिनाम्

Transliteration

prahlāda uvāca | tadāprabhṛti vipreṃdrāḥ sa kūpo nṛgasaṃjñayā | varadānācca kṛṣṇasya pāvanaḥ sarvadehinām

Translation

普罗诃罗陀说道：“自那时起，噢婆罗门中最胜者，那口井以‘尼利伽（Nṛga）’之名而闻；又因克里希纳所赐之恩，它成为一切有身众生的净化者。”

Word by Word

• प्रह्लादः: Prahlāda
• प्रह्लादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रह्लाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; वक्ता (speaker)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• प्रभृति: from (that time) onward
• प्रभृति: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रभृति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आरम्भवाचक (from… onwards)

• विप्र-इन्द्राः: O best of Brahmins
• विप्र-इन्द्राः: Sambodhana/Addressed audience (सम्बोधनार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ: ‘best of brāhmaṇas’

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

• कूपः: well (water-well)
• कूपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नृग-संज्ञया: by the name ‘Nṛga’
• नृग-संज्ञया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृग (प्रातिपदिक) + संज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘with the name of Nṛga’

• वर-दानात्: from the granting of a boon
• वर-दानात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘from (the) boon-giving’

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

• कृष्णस्य: of Krishna
• कृष्णस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पावनः: purifying
• पावनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पावन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्व-देहिनाम्: of all living beings
• सर्व-देहिनाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘of all embodied beings’

Speaker

Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nṛga-kūpa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: viprendra / dvija-śreṣṭhas (brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prahlāda, serene and radiant, addresses assembled brāhmaṇas, pointing to a sacred well labeled ‘Nṛga’; a subtle aura suggests Kṛṣṇa’s boon sanctifying its waters for all beings.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Kṛṣṇa
• Nṛga
• Nṛga-kūpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s sanctity is intensified by divine boon; sacred places become universal purifiers when tied to dharmic narrative and divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nṛga-kūpa (also understood as Nṛga-tīrtha) in the Dvārakā-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; it declares the tīrtha’s purifying power for all beings.