Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

यः स्नाति सकलं मासं प्रयागे गुप्तसंज्ञके । ब्रह्मादिभिर्न तद्वक्तुं शक्यते कल्पकोटिभिः

Transliteration

yaḥ snāti sakalaṃ māsaṃ prayāge guptasaṃjñake | brahmādibhirna tadvaktuṃ śakyate kalpakoṭibhiḥ

Translation

من اغتسل شهرًا كاملًا في براياگا المسمّى «غوبتا»، فإن ثواب ذلك لا يستطيع براهمā وسائر الآلهة وصفه وصفًا تامًّا، ولو عبروا كروْراتٍ من الدهور.

Word by Word

• yaḥ: who (he)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun, nominative singular)

• snāti: bathes
• snāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु: स्ना ‘to bathe’)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• sakalam: entire
• sakalam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sakala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular); ‘māsam’ इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• māsam: month
• māsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular); कालावधि (duration)

• prayāge: at Prayāga
• prayāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular)

• guptasaṃjñake: called ‘Gupta’ (secret-named)
• guptasaṃjñake: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gupta-saṃjñaka (प्रातिपदिक: गुप्त + संज्ञक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (locative singular); तत्पुरुषः ‘गुप्ता संज्ञा यस्य’ (नामविशेषण)

• brahmādibhiḥ: by Brahmā and others
• brahmādibhiḥ: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma-ādi (प्रातिपदिक: ब्रह्म + आदि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental plural); ‘ब्रह्मा आदिः येषां ते’ (आदि-समास)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• tat: that (merit/result)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (accusative singular)

• vaktum: to describe/say
• vaktum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु: वच् ‘to speak’)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); ‘to speak’

• śakyate: is possible
• śakyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śak (धातु: शक् ‘to be able’)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (impersonal passive sense: ‘it is possible’)

• kalpakoṭibhiḥ: by crores of aeons
• kalpakoṭibhiḥ: Karana (Measure/Instrumental of extent/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa-koṭi (प्रातिपदिक: कल्प + कोटि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (instrumental plural); तत्पुरुषः ‘कल्पानां कोटयः’

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gupta-Prayāga

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a secluded confluence-like tīrtha called Gupta-Prayāga, a vow-keeper bathes daily through a full month; celestial beings hover, unable to ‘count’ the merit, symbolized by endless scrolls or unending rosaries.

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga
• Gupta-Prayāga
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Extended, vow-like pilgrimage practice (a month of snāna) yields immeasurable merit beyond ordinary description.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gupta-Prayāga (a ‘hidden’ Prayāga) referenced within the Prabhāsa sacred landscape/tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathing daily for a full month at (Gupta-)Prayāga.