Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

स्थित्वा पूर्वमुखा देवी हा गंगेति विना त्वया । एकाकिनी मंदभाग्या क्व गमिष्याम्यबांधवा

Transliteration

sthitvā pūrvamukhā devī hā gaṃgeti vinā tvayā | ekākinī maṃdabhāgyā kva gamiṣyāmyabāṃdhavā

Translation

女神转身面向东方，呼号道：“唉，恒伽啊！没有你，我孤身而命薄；无亲无依，我将往何处去？”

Word by Word

• स्थित्वा: having stood
• स्थित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund), अर्थः: ‘having stood/remained’

• पूर्वमुखा: east-facing
• पूर्वमुखा: Visheshana (of devī)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व-मुख (प्रातिपदिक; समासः)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पूर्वं मुखं यस्याः)

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• हा: alas!
• हा: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विस्मय/शोक-उद्गार (interjection)

• गङ्गे: O Gaṅgā
• गङ्गे: Sambodhana (address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Quotative marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; वाक्य-समाप्ति/उद्धरण-चिह्न (quotative particle)

• विना: without
• विना: Adverbial (exclusion)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गार्थक-निपातः (preposition) पञ्चमी-संबन्धी

• त्वया: by/with you
• त्वया: Sahakarana (accompaniment/instrumental)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्री/पुं (व्यक्त्यनुसार), तृतीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एकाकिनी: alone
• एकाकिनी: Visheshana (of implied ‘aham’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकाकिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• मन्दभाग्या: unfortunate
• मन्दभाग्या: Visheshana (of implied ‘aham’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्द-भाग्य (प्रातिपदिक; समासः)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (मन्दं भाग्यं यस्याः)

• क्व: where
• क्व: Adverbial (question)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (interrogative adverb)

• गमिष्यामि: shall I go
• गमिष्यामि: Kriya (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (simple future), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अबान्धवा: without relatives
• अबान्धवा: Visheshana (of implied ‘aham’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-बान्धव (प्रातिपदिक; नञ्-समासः)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुषः (बान्धवः न यस्याः)

Speaker

Sarasvatī (devī) (deduced from immediate narrative context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (invocation point)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sarasvatī halts, turns east, hands raised in lament, calling ‘Hā Gaṅge’; the sky brightens in the east as if responding, while the western sea remains her destination.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī (Devī)
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even divine forces are portrayed as relational: dharmic journeys are sustained by companionship, remembrance, and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is part of the Prabhāsa tīrtha narrative centered around Sarasvatī’s movement and her connection to Gaṅgā, rather than naming a new tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it is a devotional utterance within the māhātmya narrative.