Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 137

Devanagari script

प्रभासे तु विशेषेण जप्त्वा मां वेदमातरम् । प्रतिग्रहकृतान्दोषान्न प्राप्स्यध्वं द्विजोत्तमाः

Transliteration

prabhāse tu viśeṣeṇa japtvā māṃ vedamātaram | pratigrahakṛtāndoṣānna prāpsyadhvaṃ dvijottamāḥ

Translation

Doch in Prabhāsa insbesondere: Wenn ihr mich, die Mutter der Veden, im Japa rezitiert, o erhabene Brāhmaṇas, werdet ihr die durch das Annehmen von Gaben entstehenden Verfehlungen nicht erlangen.

Word by Word

• प्रभासे: in Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: indeed; but
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विरोध/विशेषार्थक निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• विशेषेण: especially
• विशेषेण: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (used adverbially)

• जप्त्वा: having recited
• जप्त्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम

• वेदमातरम्: the Mother of the Vedas
• वेदमातरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद + मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'mother of the Vedas'); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रतिग्रहकृतान्: caused by accepting gifts
• प्रतिग्रहकृतान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of दोषान्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतिग्रह + कृत (कृ धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative: 'done by acceptance of gifts'); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle) विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• दोषान्: faults, blemishes
• दोषान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• प्राप्स्यध्वम्: you will obtain; you will incur
• प्राप्स्यध्वम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Vocative address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (appositional: 'best (among) twice-born'); पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural), संबोधनार्थे (used as address)

Speaker

Gāyatrī (Veda-mātā, personified)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dwijottamas (excellent brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Prabhāsa, brāhmaṇas chant Gāyatrī (Veda-mātā) with rosaries near the sacred shrine; a subtle aura shields them, symbolizing freedom from pratigraha-doṣa.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Gāyatrī (Veda-mātā)
• Brāhmaṇas
• Pratigraha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Right spiritual practice at a sacred place can neutralize subtle ethical taints, aligning livelihood and purity with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is explicitly singled out as ‘especially’ potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Chanting Gāyatrī (Veda-mātā) at Prabhāsa as a remedy against pratigraha-related doṣas.