Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन स्नानं तत्र समाचरेत् । यथाशक्त्या तथा दानं श्राद्धं च नृपसत्तम

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaprayatnena snānaṃ tatra samācaret | yathāśaktyā tathā dānaṃ śrāddhaṃ ca nṛpasattama

Translation

فلذلك ينبغي للمرء أن يجتهد بكل وسعه في الاغتسال هناك؛ وبحسب طاقته فليقدّم الدّانا (dāna) وليقم شعيرة الشرادها (śrāddha)، يا أفضلَ الملوك.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोग (तस्मात् = ablative used adverbially) — ‘therefore/from that reason’

• sarva-prayatnena: with all effort
• sarva-prayatnena: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास: ‘सर्व’ + ‘प्रयत्नेन’ (instr.) → adverbial ‘with all effort’; तृतीया-एकवचन-आकार (instrumental form used in avyayībhāva)

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक)

• samācaret: should practice/perform
• samācaret: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yathā-śaktyā: according to ability
• yathā-śaktyā: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास: ‘यथा’ + ‘शक्त्या’ (instr.) → ‘according to one’s ability’

• tathā: likewise; so
• tathā: Prakara (Correlative/अन्वय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/अन्वय) — ‘so/likewise’

• dānam: charity; gift
• dānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• śrāddham: Śrāddha rite
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय) — conjunction ‘and’

• nṛpa-sattama: O best of kings
• nṛpa-sattama: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास: ‘नृप’ + ‘सत्तम’ (best); पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

Pulastya (implied)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kanakhala-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpaśreṣṭha/nṛpasattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After bathing, pilgrims offer water-libations for ancestors, then distribute alms to brāhmaṇas and the needy; the king listens respectfully to the sage’s injunction.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (implied via śrāddha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage becomes complete when purification (snāna) is joined with compassion (dāna) and gratitude to lineage (śrāddha).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kanakhala-tīrtha, where these three practices are especially recommended.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna there; and as able, perform dāna and śrāddha.