Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

यथा कामदुघा गावः सर्वकामफलप्रदाः । तथा स्वर्गापवर्गाभ्यां प्राची देवी सरस्वती

Transliteration

yathā kāmadughā gāvaḥ sarvakāmaphalapradāḥ | tathā svargāpavargābhyāṃ prācī devī sarasvatī

Translation

正如能满愿的神牛赐予一切欲求之果，同样，东方的萨拉斯瓦蒂女神（Prācī）也赐予天界之乐与解脱之道。

Word by Word

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/तुलना) — ‘as/just as’

• कामदुघाः: wish-fulfilling
• कामदुघाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: काम + दुह् (धातु) → दुघ (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘कामं दोग्धि’ इति बहुप्रयोगे विशेषणम् — Feminine, Nominative plural, ‘wish-milking/fulfilling’

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Feminine, Nominative plural

• सर्वकामफलप्रदाः: granting all desired fruits
• सर्वकामफलप्रदाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + काम + फल + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (गावः) — Feminine, Nominative plural, ‘granting the fruits of all desires’

• तथा: so/likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तुलना/अन्वय) — ‘so/likewise’

• स्वर्गापवर्गाभ्याम्: by (granting) heaven and liberation
• स्वर्गापवर्गाभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग + अपवर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन — Masculine, Instrumental dual; द्वन्द्व: स्वर्गः च अपवर्गः च — ‘by heaven and liberation’

• प्राची: Prācī
• प्राची: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सरस्वती) — Feminine, Nominative singular

• देवी: goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अप्पोजिशन (सरस्वती) — Feminine, Nominative singular

• सरस्वती: Sarasvatī
• सरस्वती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Nominative singular

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextual praise within the Māhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prācī Sarasvatī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A addressed feminine interlocutor ("varānane" appears in nearby verses, indicating a fair-faced listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene riverbank shrine where Devī Sarasvatī is envisioned as a luminous presence over flowing waters; pilgrims offer white flowers, akṣata, and recite hymns seeking both svarga and mokṣa.

Characters & Entities

• Prācī Sarasvatī
• Sarasvatī
• Svarga
• Apavarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest tīrthas are said to grant both bhoga (heavenly enjoyment) and mokṣa (liberation), uniting worldly and transcendent aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prācī Sarasvatī tīrtha in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse emphasizes the twofold result (svarga and apavarga) of approaching the tīrtha-goddess.