Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा तद्वैष्णवं स्थानं नृणां पातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

snātvā tadvaiṣṇavaṃ sthānaṃ nṛṇāṃ pātakanāśanam

Translation

Nachdem man an jenem vaiṣṇavischen heiligen Ort gebadet hat, werden die Sünden der Menschen vernichtet.

Word by Word

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Gerund—prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया—‘स्नात्वा’ (having bathed)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Deictic qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/Accusative), एकवचन; संकेतक विशेषणम् (स्थानम्)

• वैष्णवम्: Vaiṣṇava, pertaining to Viṣṇu
• वैष्णवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णव (प्रातिपदिक; विष्णु + अण् तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (स्थानम्)

• स्थानम्: place, shrine
• स्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/Accusative), एकवचन

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Of whom/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पातकनाशनम्: destroyer of sins
• पातकनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पातक + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पातकस्य नाशनम्); विशेषणम् (स्थानम्)

Speaker

Unknown (contextually within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vaiṣṇava-sthāna (associated bathing spot at Satyabhāmeśvara)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathe at a sacred water spot designated ‘Vaiṣṇava-sthāna’ near the Satyabhāmeśvara shrine; water glints at dawn, with priests guiding sankalpa and devotees emerging purified.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu (implied by vaiṣṇava)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snān (ritual bathing at a sacred place) is presented as a direct means of pāpa-nāśa (sin-destruction).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Vaiṣṇava sacred spot within Prabhāsa Kṣetra associated with the Satyabhāmeśvara context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) at the specified Vaiṣṇava sthāna.