Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

एवं जन्मसहस्रैस्तु न तस्य पापकर्मणः । मातंग्या संगजं पापं व्यनश्यत युगायुतैः

Transliteration

evaṃ janmasahasraistu na tasya pāpakarmaṇaḥ | mātaṃgyā saṃgajaṃ pāpaṃ vyanaśyata yugāyutaiḥ

Translation

So verging selbst durch tausende von Geburten die Sünde, die aus der Verbindung mit der Mātaṅgī entstand, auch über zehntausende von Zeitaltern nicht.

Word by Word

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• janma-sahasraiḥ: by thousands of births
• janma-sahasraiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘janmānāṃ sahasraiḥ’ = by thousands of births

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/विरोधार्थक-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• tasya: of him/its
• tasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• pāpa-karmaṇaḥ: of the sinful act
• pāpa-karmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय: ‘pāpaṃ karma’ = sinful deed

• mātaṃgyāḥ: of Mātaṅgī
• mātaṃgyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātaṃgī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• saṃga-jam: arisen from association
• saṃga-jam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃga (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे: ‘saṃgāt jātaṃ’ = born from association; ‘pāpam’ इति विशेषण

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• vyanaśyata: perished, was destroyed
• vyanaśyata: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-naś (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• yuga-āyutaiḥ: by tens of thousands of ages
• yuga-āyutaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक) + āyuta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘yugānām āyutaiḥ’ = by tens of thousands of yugas

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic time-scroll: countless births passing like beads; the same dark stain persists; yuga-wheels turning; the pilgrim’s mind urged toward renunciation and disciplined devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Mātaṅgī
• yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Some karmas mature over immense time; therefore dharma urges vigilance, repentance, and turning toward purifying sacred practices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is directly praised in this verse; it supports the Māhātmya’s moral framework about sin and purification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse underscores the need for purifying means (tīrtha, vrata, japa) in general.