Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

सर्वेषां चैव पापानां प्रायश्चित्तमिदं स्मृतम् । कपिलेश्वरं तु संपूज्य कन्याकोटिफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

sarveṣāṃ caiva pāpānāṃ prāyaścittamidaṃ smṛtam | kapileśvaraṃ tu saṃpūjya kanyākoṭiphalaṃ labhet

Translation

وقد عُدَّ هذا كفّارةً عن جميع الآثام. ومن عبد كَبِيلِيشْوَرَا (Kapileśvara) عبادةً تامّةً على الوجه اللائق نال ثوابًا يعادل ثمرة تزويج عشرة ملايين من العذارى صدقةً وتقربًا.

Word by Word

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन — Genitive plural; विशेषणम् (पापानाम्)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed, certainly
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• पापानाम्: of sins
• पापानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन — Genitive plural

• प्रायश्चित्तम्: expiation
• प्रायश्चित्तम्: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karta (Apposition/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular (pronoun)

• स्मृतम्: is said/remembered (as)
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु) + त (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः (PPP)

• कपिलेश्वरम्: Kapileśvara (Śiva)
• कपिलेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कपिल + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative singular; कर्म (object of संपूज्य)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषण-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• संपूज्य: having worshipped
• संपूज्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-√पूज् (धातु) + ल्यप्
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (ल्यप्/क्त्वा), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (gerund)

• कन्याकोटिफलम्: the merit equal to (giving) a crore of maidens
• कन्याकोटिफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या + कोटि + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative singular; ‘कन्याकोटेः फलम्’ (fruit equal to a crore of maidens)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapileśvara (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Mahādevī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers bilva leaves, flowers, and water to a black stone liṅga labeled Kapileśvara; priests chant while lamps flicker; the setting suggests a revered Prabhāsa sub-temple with pilgrims seeking expiation.

Characters & Entities

• Kapileśvara
• Prāyaścitta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship at a sanctified Śiva-kṣetra functions as powerful prāyaścitta, transforming past demerit through sincere pūjā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kapileśvara in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, praised as a place of expiation and immense merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform complete worship (saṃpūjā) of Kapileśvara as an expiatory act.