Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि पुनर्न्यंकुमतीं नदीम् । तत्र कृत्वा गयाश्राद्धं गोष्पदे तीर्थ उत्तमे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi punarnyaṃkumatīṃ nadīm | tatra kṛtvā gayāśrāddhaṃ goṣpade tīrtha uttame

Translation

自在天（Īśvara）说道：“随后，噢大女神，应再前往尼扬库玛蒂河。在名为‘牛迹’（Goṣpada）的最胜圣渡处，行毕伽耶施罗陀（Gayā-śrāddha，祭祖之礼），便得广大功德。”

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; वक्ता (speaker)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tataḥ: then; thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय; तदस्)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोगः (adverb: thereafter)

• gacchet: one should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Injunctive instruction)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Vocative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-devī (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (again)

• nyaṃkumatīm: (to) the river Nyaṃkumatī
• nyaṃkumatīm: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nyaṃkumatī (प्रातिपदिक; नदी-नाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (object of gacchet)

• nadīm: river
• nadīm: Karma (Appositional object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; apposition to nyaṃkumatīm

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Adverbial locative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: there)

• kṛtvā: having performed
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (Gerundial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having done)

• gayāśrāddham: Gayā-śrāddha rite
• gayāśrāddham: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā-śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक; गया + श्राद्ध)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म (object of kṛtvā)

• goṣpade: at Goṣpada
• goṣpade: Adhikarana (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: goṣpada (प्रातिपदिक; गो + स्पद)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण (place-name/spot)

• tīrthe: at the sacred ford/place
• tīrthe: Adhikarana (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरण; goṣpade इत्यस्य विशेष्य

• uttame: excellent; best
• uttame: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying tīrthe)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Goṣpada-tīrtha (on Nyaṅkumatī)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the banks of the Nyaṅkumatī, at the Goṣpada ford, a pilgrim performs Gayā-śrāddha: piṇḍas on darbha, tila-water offerings, brāhmaṇas seated, river flowing beside a small shrine.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Nyaṅkumatī river
• Goṣpada Tīrtha
• Gayā-śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is integrated with pitṛ-dharma: honoring ancestors through śrāddha at empowered tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Goṣpada Tīrtha on the Nyaṅkumatī river within Prabhāsa kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing Gayā-śrāddha (ancestral offerings in the Gayā tradition) at Goṣpada Tīrtha.