Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 159

Devanagari script

निष्कामः पूजयेद्यस्तु स मोक्षं याति वै ध्रुवम् । अस्य क्षेत्रस्य माहात्म्यादर्कसूर्यप्रभावतः

Transliteration

niṣkāmaḥ pūjayedyastu sa mokṣaṃ yāti vai dhruvam | asya kṣetrasya māhātmyādarkasūryaprabhāvataḥ

Translation

Wer jedoch ohne Verlangen verehrt, gelangt gewiss zur Befreiung (moksha). Dies geschieht durch die Größe dieses heiligen Gebietes und die machtvolle Wirkung von Arka—Sūrya.

Word by Word

• निष्कामः: desireless
• निष्कामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—निष् (उपसर्ग/निषेध) + काम (प्रातिपदिक) = निष्काम (अकामः)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकः (relative pronoun)

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

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अन्वयः—यः… सः…

• मोक्षम्: liberation
• मोक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative)

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• क्षेत्रस्य: of the sacred place/field
• क्षेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• माहात्म्यात्: due to the greatness
• माहात्म्यात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

• अर्कसूर्यप्रभावतः: because of the power of Arka (Sun)
• अर्कसूर्यप्रभावतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क + सूर्य + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; समासः—अर्कसूर्ययोः प्रभावः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) ; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from kṣetra-māhātmya phala-śruti tone)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Arka-prabhāva emphasized)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unspecified inquirer

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm ascetic-devotee worships Sūrya at Prabhāsa with empty hands and serene gaze; behind, the kṣetra glows subtly, suggesting mokṣa as a luminous dissolution of ego.

Characters & Entities

• Arka
• Sūrya
• Mokṣa
• Prabhāsa
• Arkasthala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desireless worship (niṣkāma-bhakti) is elevated above goal-seeking devotion, culminating in mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, with explicit emphasis on Arkasthala/Arka-Sūrya’s sanctifying power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship of Sūrya performed without personal desire is recommended as the highest approach.