Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 121

Devanagari script

अष्टादशेह कुष्ठानि ये चान्ये व्याधयो नृणाम् । प्रलयं यांति ते सर्वे मृदा यद्युपलेपयेत्

Transliteration

aṣṭādaśeha kuṣṭhāni ye cānye vyādhayo nṛṇām | pralayaṃ yāṃti te sarve mṛdā yadyupalepayet

Translation

Hier werden die achtzehn Arten von kuṣṭha (Hautleiden) und alle anderen Krankheiten, die Menschen befallen, gänzlich vernichtet, wenn man den Körper mit der heiligen Erde (mṛd) dieses Ortes bestreicht.

Word by Word

• अष्टादश: eighteen
• अष्टादश: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टादश (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्गे (कुष्ठानि) विशेषणरूपेण, प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचनानुगुणम् (indeclinable-like numeral usage)

• इह: here
• इह: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/प्रकरणवाचक (adverb: 'here/in this context')

• कुष्ठानि: leprosy-diseases
• कुष्ठानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ये: which/that
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

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

• अन्ये: other
• अन्ये: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying व्याधयः)

• व्याधयः: diseases
• व्याधयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• प्रलयम्: destruction, dissolution
• प्रलयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यान्ति: go/come to
• यान्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; निर्देशार्थक (demonstrative pronoun)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ते)

• मृदा: with clay/earth
• मृदा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Condition marker (शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक (conditional particle: 'if')

• उपलेपयेत्: should plaster/anoint
• उपलेपयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + लिप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (mṛd of the kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at Prabhāsa gather sacred earth, applying it as a gentle smear on limbs; a healer-priest offers guidance; the sea and temple silhouettes frame the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Ravi (Sūrya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is not symbolic alone: Prabhāsa’s holy substance (earth) is praised as a concrete vehicle of purification and healing when used with faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsatīrtha region), celebrated in the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya of the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mṛdā-upalepa—smearing/applying the sacred earth (clay) of the kṣetra as a purificatory/healing observance.