Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

मेर्वादिपर्वताः पुण्या दर्शनात्पापनाशनाः । तीर्थराज प्रयागश्च सर्वतीर्थसमन्वितः

Transliteration

mervādiparvatāḥ puṇyā darśanātpāpanāśanāḥ | tīrtharāja prayāgaśca sarvatīrthasamanvitaḥ

Translation

须弥山及诸余群山皆为圣洁——仅一瞻仰便能灭罪。又有普拉雅伽，为诸圣渡（tīrtha）之王，具足一切圣渡的临在。

Word by Word

• मेरु-आदि-पर्वताः: mountains beginning with Meru
• मेरु-आदि-पर्वताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरु (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक) + पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘मेरु-आदयः पर्वताः’ (mountains such as Meru)

• पुण्याः: holy
• पुण्याः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying पर्वताः)

• दर्शनात्: from seeing (them)
• दर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेतौ (cause: ‘by/through seeing’)

• पाप-नाशनाः: destroyers of sin
• पाप-नाशनाः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘पापस्य नाशनाः’ (destroyers of sin)

• तीर्थ-राज: king of tīrthas
• तीर्थ-राज: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे प्रथमा (appositional title)

• प्रयागः: Prayāga
• प्रयागः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• सर्व-तीर्थ-समन्वितः: endowed with all sacred places
• सर्व-तीर्थ-समन्वितः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्तनिष्पन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘सर्वैः तीर्थैः समन्वितः’ (endowed with all tīrthas)

Speaker

Narrative voice within Dvārakā Māhātmya (speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prayāga (Tīrtharāja)

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic tableau: Meru-like peaks shimmering with sanctity; in the foreground, the confluence-city Prayāga radiates as ‘king of tīrthas,’ with subtle streams of light symbolizing all tīrthas converging into it.

Characters & Entities

• Meru
• Prayāga (Prayagraj)
• Tīrtha-rāja

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of sacred landscapes and pilgrimage to Prayāga are upheld as powerful means for purification and dharmic renewal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prayāga is praised as “Tīrtha-rāja,” the king among pilgrimage sites.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated, but the verse elevates darśana (auspicious seeing) and pilgrimage to Prayāga as purifying acts.