Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

देवानामपि दुष्प्राप्यं महापातकनाशनम् । प्रभासे त्वेकरात्रेण अमावास्यां कृतोदकः

Transliteration

devānāmapi duṣprāpyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam | prabhāse tvekarātreṇa amāvāsyāṃ kṛtodakaḥ

Translation

هو عسير المنال حتى على الآلهة، غير أنه يمحو الكبائر. وفي برابهاسا، من أقام شعيرة الماء—الاغتسال المقدّس (snāna)—في يوم أَمَاوَاسْيَا (المحاق)، ولو بمبيت ليلة واحدة، نال تلك الثمرة.

Word by Word

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन — 'of the gods'

• अपि: even
• अपि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ — 'even/also'

• दुष्प्राप्यम्: difficult to obtain
• दुष्प्राप्यम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुस्- + प्राप्य (कृदन्त; √प्राप् (धातु))
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययार्थ: 'hard to obtain')

• महापातकनाशनम्: destroyer of great sins
• महापातकनाशनम्: Karma/Predicate nominal (Object or predicative/कर्म-स्वरूप)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महापातक + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'महापातकानां नाशनम्'

• प्रभासे: in Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — 'in Prabhāsa'

• तु: indeed
• तु: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषणार्थ — 'but/indeed'

• एकरात्रेण: by (observing) one night
• एकरात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकरात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-समास: 'एका रात्रिः' → 'one night'

• अमावास्याम्: on amāvāsyā (new moon)
• अमावास्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमावास्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — 'on the new-moon day'

• कृतोदकः: one who has performed the ritual bath
• कृतोदकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत-उदक (कृदन्त+प्रातिपदिक; √कृ (धातु) + उदक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारयार्थ-तत्पुरुष: 'कृतम् उदकम् यस्य' (one who has performed the water-rite/bath)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from section flow)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: New-moon dawn at the seashore/river-mouth near Prabhāsa: pilgrims perform snāna with cupped hands offering water (kṛtodaka), lamps flicker in pre-dawn darkness, a temple spire silhouettes against a pale horizon.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Amāvāsyā
• devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A small, sincere observance—staying even one night and bathing on Amāvāsyā at Prabhāsa—is praised as immensely purifying.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsa tīrtha).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ekarātra-vāsa (one night’s stay) and kṛtodaka/snānā (ritual bath/ablution) on Amāvāsyā.