Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

स्वकर्मभिः कुलांगार दिवं प्राप्ता यथार्हतः । कुपुत्रं त्वां समासाद्य नरकं समुपस्थिताः । तस्मादुद्धर नः सर्वान्कृत्वा किंचिच्छुभार्चनम्

Transliteration

svakarmabhiḥ kulāṃgāra divaṃ prāptā yathārhataḥ | kuputraṃ tvāṃ samāsādya narakaṃ samupasthitāḥ | tasmāduddhara naḥ sarvānkṛtvā kiṃcicchubhārcanam

Translation

„O Glut unseres Geschlechts! Durch unsere eigenen Taten hatten wir den Himmel erlangt, wie es uns gebührte. Doch da wir dich als schlechten Sohn erhielten, sind wir nun in die Hölle gefallen. Darum rette uns alle, indem du wenigstens ein wenig heilsame Verehrung vollziehst.“

Word by Word

• sva-karmabhiḥ: by (our) own deeds
• sva-karmabhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (कर्मन्), तृतीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (स्वानि कर्माणि)

• kulāṃgāra: O disgrace of the family
• kulāṃgāra: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅgāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कुलस्य अङ्गारः—‘scorch of the family’)

• divam: heaven
• divam: Karma (Goal/object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: div (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• prāptāḥ: (we) have attained
• prāptāḥ: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + āp (धातु) → prāpta (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past participle) used predicatively; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘having attained’

• yathā-arhataḥ: as was deserved
• yathā-arhataḥ: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + arhataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय-समूह: यथā (according as) + अर्हतः (as deserved, properly)

• kuputram: a wicked son
• kuputram: Karma (Object in apposition to tvām/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ku + putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘bad son’ (upasarga/particle ku-)

• tvām: you
• tvām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuṣmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• samāsādya: having met/approached
• samāsādya: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam + ā + sad (धातु) → samāsādya (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund): ‘having approached/encountered’

• narakam: hell
• narakam: Karma (Goal/object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• samupasthitāḥ: have come (to)
• samupasthitāḥ: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + upa + sthā (धातु) → upasthita (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past participle) used predicatively; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘have come/arrived’

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Sambandha (Cause/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival: therefore/from that)

• uddhara: rescue, lift up
• uddhara: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud + hṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• naḥ: us
• naḥ: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (genitive/dative) बहुवचन-रूप (enclitic): ‘of us/to us’

• sarvān: all
• sarvān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying implied ‘us’)

• kṛtvā: having done
• kṛtvā: Sambandha (Prior action/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु) → kṛtvā (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund): ‘having done’

• kiṃcit: something, a little
• kiṃcit: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim + cit (सर्वनाम + चित्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चित-परिमाण (something/a little)

• śubha-arcanam: auspicious worship
• śubha-arcanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक) + arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (शुभं अर्चनम्)

Speaker

Pitaraḥ (ancestors), addressing the king/descendant

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra / Somnātha (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The king/descendant

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pitṛs, distressed yet dignified, admonish the king as ‘kula-aṅgāra’; behind them loom shadowy hell-visions, while a faint temple-lamp glow suggests the possibility of rescue through worship.

Characters & Entities

• Pitaraḥ (ancestors)
• Rājā (king/descendant)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A descendant’s conduct affects family welfare; even small acts of auspicious worship can be undertaken with the intent of relieving ancestral suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse itself emphasizes pitṛ-uplift through worship; the broader context is Arbuda Khaṇḍa within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa (sacred geography themes continue around Arbuda/Prabhāsa regions).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing “kiṃcid śubhārcanam”—some auspicious worship (arcana), implying devotional rites done for merit and ancestral benefit.