Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

ततोऽद्यतः करिष्यामि व्रतं द्वादशवार्षिकम् । स्वकर्मख्यापनं कुर्वन्प्रायश्चित्तमनुत्तमम्

Transliteration

tato'dyataḥ kariṣyāmi vrataṃ dvādaśavārṣikam | svakarmakhyāpanaṃ kurvanprāyaścittamanuttamam

Translation

لذلك، من هذا اليوم سألتزم نذرًا اثني عشر عامًا—مؤدّيًا prāyaścitta (الكفّارة) التي لا نظير لها، مع الإقرار علنًا بما اقترفته بيدي.

Word by Word

• ततः: therefore; from that (reason)
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: ‘therefore/from then’)

• अद्यतः: from today
• अद्यतः: Sambandha (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: ‘from today/starting today’)

• करिष्यामि: I will undertake/do
• करिष्यामि: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• व्रतम्: vow, observance
• व्रतम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• द्वादशवार्षिकम्: lasting twelve years
• द्वादशवार्षिकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश + वार्षिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying व्रतम्)

• स्वकर्मख्यापनम्: confession/avowal of one’s own deed
• स्वकर्मख्यापनम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + कर्म + ख्यापन (प्रातिपदिक; √ख्याप्/√ख्यै (धातु) causative sense ‘to make known’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कुर्वन्: doing; while performing
• कुर्वन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु) → कुर्वत् (कृदन्त, शतृ-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक-कर्तरि कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तृविशेषण (qualifying implicit ‘aham’)

• प्रायश्चित्तम्: expiation, penance
• प्रायश्चित्तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed; excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying प्रायश्चित्तम्)

Speaker

Unspecified (a repentant speaker within the Prabhāsakṣetra narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (context of prāyaścitta-vrata)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A penitent takes a solemn sankalpa at dawn: twelve-year vow announced before witnesses; he holds a water-pot and kusa, with a small fire altar nearby; the sea and temple indicate Prabhāsa’s sacred jurisdiction.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Repentance becomes effective when paired with sustained discipline (vrata) and truthful acknowledgment of one’s wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, framing expiation in the sacred geography of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A dvādaśa-vārṣika (twelve-year) vrata is proposed as an anuttama (unsurpassed) prāyaścitta.