Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 133

Devanagari script

पादप्रक्षालनं कृत्वा ततोऽहं धर्मवर्मणः । समीपे साक्षिणो देवान्कृत्वा संकल्पमाचरम्

Transliteration

pādaprakṣālanaṃ kṛtvā tato'haṃ dharmavarmaṇaḥ | samīpe sākṣiṇo devānkṛtvā saṃkalpamācaram

Translation

Nachdem ich ehrerbietig die Füße gewaschen hatte, trat ich zu Dharmavarman; die Götter zu Zeugen machend, vollzog ich den feierlichen Saṅkalpa, den heiligen Entschluss.

Word by Word

• pādaprakṣālanam: washing of the feet
• pādaprakṣālanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + prakṣālana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पादस्य प्रक्षालनम्)

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund) — having done

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (ततस्, अव्यय)
• Form: क्रमवाचक अव्यय (thereafter)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद्, सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

• dharmavarmaṇaḥ: of Dharmavarman
• dharmavarmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharmavarman (धर्मवर्मन्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive Singular (नाम/व्यक्तिवाचक)

• samīpe: near
• samīpe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative Singular

• sākṣiṇaḥ: as witnesses
• sākṣiṇaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sākṣin (साक्षिन्, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन — Accusative Plural

• devān: the gods
• devān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन — Accusative Plural

• kṛtvā: having made (them)
• kṛtvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त — having made/appointed

• saṃkalpam: a resolve; vow
• saṃkalpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃkalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• ācaram: I performed
• ācaram: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (चर् धातु) + ā- (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन — Past (Imperfect), 1st sg

Speaker

Narrator voice within Lomaharṣaṇa’s telling (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A formal ritual moment: a devotee washes the feet of an honored person (or brāhmaṇas), stands near Dharmavarman, raises water/flowers in hand, and utters a saṅkalpa invoking the gods as witnesses.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmavarman
• deva (gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Righteous acts are strengthened by purity, reverence, and a clear vow taken with divine witness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is identified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pādaprakṣālana (washing feet as a reverential act) and saṅkalpa (formal vow/intention) are explicitly mentioned.