Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

एतत्कीर्त्तयमानस्य त्रिकालं तु महोदयम् । संध्याकालांतरं पापमहोरात्रं विनश्यति

Transliteration

etatkīrttayamānasya trikālaṃ tu mahodayam | saṃdhyākālāṃtaraṃ pāpamahorātraṃ vinaśyati

Translation

Wer dies zu den drei Tageszeiten rezitiert, erfährt einen großen geistigen Aufstieg; und die Sünden, die sich über Tag und Nacht ansammeln, vergehen in den Dämmerungsfugen der Sandhyā.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; (kīrtayamanasya) इत्यस्य कर्म (this [hymn/thing])

• kīrtayamānasya: of the one who is reciting
• kīrtayamānasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kīrtaya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kīrt/√kīrti? from causative of √kīrt/√kīr 'to praise')
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; 'of one who is reciting/praising'

• trikālam: thrice / at the three times
• trikālam: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tri (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समासः; अव्ययवत् क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial: 'three times/at the three times [of day]')

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• mahodayam: great rise/benefit
• mahodayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-udaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (mahān udayaḥ)

• saṃdhyā-kāla-āntaram: the interval of twilight time
• saṃdhyā-kāla-āntaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃdhyā (प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (saṃdhyāyāḥ kālasya antaram)

• pāpa-maho-rātram: the great night of sin (sin accumulated over day-night)
• pāpa-maho-rātram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + mahaḥ (प्रातिपदिक) + rātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (pāpasya mahā-rātram / 'great night of sin')

• vinaśyati: perishes, is destroyed
• vinaśyati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: naś (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद/परस्मैपद प्रचलित (here: परस्मैपद)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (māhātmya recitation)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Deveśī (addressed) and the narrative audience.

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs sandhyā at three times—dawn, noon, dusk—reciting the māhātmya; the sky shifts through three palettes while a temple silhouette anchors the scene; sins are symbolically shown dissolving into light.

Characters & Entities

• Sandhyā (twilight rites, implied)
• Prabhāsa māhātmya (implied content)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular, disciplined recitation aligned with sacred daily timings purifies karma and elevates one’s spiritual state.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, through the efficacy of its names/māhātmya when recited.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recite/chant (kīrtana) this text at trikāla—morning, midday, and evening—especially around sandhyā intervals for purification.