Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

अन्यद्देवि पुरा गीतं गांगेयेन युधिष्ठिरे । सत्यमेव हि गंगायां वयं जाता युधिष्ठिर

Transliteration

anyaddevi purā gītaṃ gāṃgeyena yudhiṣṭhire | satyameva hi gaṃgāyāṃ vayaṃ jātā yudhiṣṭhira

Translation

女神啊，往昔恒河之子伽昂耶曾向坚战唱诵另一句言辞：“确然真实——我们生于恒河之中，哦，坚战。”

Word by Word

• अन्यत्: something else
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter nom./acc. singular)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine vocative singular)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• गीतम्: sung; spoken
• गीतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गै (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom./acc. sg)

• गांगेयेन: by Gāṅgeya (Bhīṣma)
• गांगेयेन: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गांगेय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masculine, instrumental singular)

• युधिष्ठिरे: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिरे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वैदिक/छान्दस रूप (vocative singular; addressed)

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter nom./acc. singular)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• हि: for; indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Nipāta/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुनिर्देशक/समर्थक निपात (particle: for/indeed)

• गंगायाम्: in the Gaṅgā
• गंगायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गंगा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (feminine, locative singular)

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (1st person pronoun, nominative plural)

• जाताः: born; arisen
• जाताः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (masculine nominative plural); कर्तरि प्रयोगे (as predicate adjective: 'were born')

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (vocative singular)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) quoting a Mahābhārata-style recollection (Gāṅgeya/Bhīṣma to Yudhiṣṭhira); immediate addressee ‘Devi’ indicates a goddess is being addressed in this narrative context

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (as referenced authority within Prabhāsa-kṣetra discourse)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A remembered utterance: Bhīṣma (Gāṅgeya) speaking to Yudhiṣṭhira, with Gaṅgā personified in the background as a luminous river-mother; the Prabhāsa narrator frames the quote as ancient song.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Gāṅgeya (Bhīṣma)
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇas reinforce tīrtha authority by linking it to revered itihāsa voices, reaffirming the Gaṅgā’s exceptional sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā is explicitly praised, while the citation appears within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya’s broader sacred-geography discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it functions as an authoritative citation glorifying the Gaṅgā.