Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

गंगाद्याः सागराः शैला नृत्यंति पुरतस्तव । ऋषिदेवगणाः सर्वे सर्वे गर्जंति नामभिः

Transliteration

gaṃgādyāḥ sāgarāḥ śailā nṛtyaṃti puratastava | ṛṣidevagaṇāḥ sarve sarve garjaṃti nāmabhiḥ

Translation

恒河及其他圣河、诸海与群山，都在你面前起舞。所有仙圣与天众齐声轰鸣，各各宣扬神圣之名。

Word by Word

• गंगाद्याः: Gaṅgā and other rivers
• गंगाद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; ‘गङ्गा-आद्य’ = गङ्गा आदिः यासाम् (those beginning with Gaṅgā)

• सागराः: oceans
• सागराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• शैलाः: mountains
• शैलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• नृत्यन्ति: dance
• नृत्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nṛt (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• पुरतः: in front
• पुरतः: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puratas (अव्यय)
• Form: देश-अव्यय (adverb: in front)

• तव: of you/your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ऋषिदेवगणाः: groups of sages and gods
• ऋषिदेवगणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi + deva + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समाहार/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-भावः: ऋषीणां देवानां च गणाः (groups of sages and gods)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वे: all (indeed)
• सर्वे: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition)

• गर्जन्ति: roar, shout
• गर्जन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: garj (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• नामभिः: with names (by name-cries)
• नामभिः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

Speaker

Prahlāda (narrated as part of the Dvārakā Māhātmya dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvārakā personified (addressed as ‘tava’—before you)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A jubilant sacred festival before Dvārakā: Gaṅgā and river goddesses dance with flowing garments; oceans and mountains sway; devas and rishis chant loudly, mouths open in ‘nāma-ghoṣa’, hands raised in kīrtana gestures.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Sāgara (Oceans)
• Śaila (Mountains)
• Ṛṣis
• Devas
• Divine Names

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Creation itself is portrayed as celebrating the Divine through movement and sound—an image of bhakti where nature participates in worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā is the implied center before which rivers, oceans, and mountains appear and rejoice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied praise of nāma-ucchāra/saṅkīrtana (proclaiming divine names), though no formal rule is stated.