Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

प्रह्लाद उवाच । वृषोत्सर्गं करिष्यंति वैशाख्यां चैव कार्तिके । द्वारकायां पिशाचत्वं मुक्त्वा यांति पितामहाः

Transliteration

prahlāda uvāca | vṛṣotsargaṃ kariṣyaṃti vaiśākhyāṃ caiva kārtike | dvārakāyāṃ piśācatvaṃ muktvā yāṃti pitāmahāḥ

Translation

Prahlāda sprach: „Im Monat Vaiśākha und auch im Kārttika werden sie das vṛṣotsarga vollziehen, den Ritus der Freilassung eines Stieres als dharmische Gabe. In Dvārakā werden die Ahnen vom Zustand eines piśāca befreit und gelangen zu ihrem guten Fortgang.“

Word by Word

• प्रह्लादः: Prahlāda
• प्रह्लादः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रह्लाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• वृषोत्सर्गम्: the rite of releasing a bull
• वृषोत्सर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—वृषस्य उत्सर्गः (bull-release rite)

• करिष्यन्ति: will do/perform
• करिष्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• वैशाख्याम्: in Vaiśākha
• वैशाख्याम्: Adhikarana (Time-locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशाखी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; मास-नाम (in the month of Vaiśākha)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• एव: indeed/also
• एव: Emphasis (अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• कार्तिके: in Kārttika
• कार्तिके: Adhikarana (Time-locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; मास-नाम (in Kārttika)

• द्वारकायाम्: in Dvārakā
• द्वारकायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वारका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पिशाचत्वम्: state of being a piśāca (ghoulhood)
• पिशाचत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशाचत्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भाववाचक-तद्धित (त्व)

• मुक्त्वा: having given up
• मुक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मुच् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund) ‘having abandoned/released’

• यान्ति: go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

• पितामहाः: forefathers/ancestors
• पितामहाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Prahlāda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Daityendra (lord of Daityas) implied by immediate context of address in 42.3; specific name not given here

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prahlāda speaks to an assembly; in the background, a devotee ceremonially releases a decorated bull near Dvārakā’s sacred precincts, while shadowy pitṛs are shown being lifted from a dark piśāca-like state into light.

Characters & Entities

• Prahlāda
• Dvārakā
• Vaiśākha
• Kārttika
• Pitṛs (ancestors)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dvārakā is portrayed as a powerful place for ancestral upliftment, where prescribed gifts and vows transform suffering into liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, as a pitṛ-tīrtha where ancestral afflictions are removed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Vṛṣotsarga (releasing/donating a bull), especially in the months of Vaiśākha and Kārttika.