Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

जन्मनां च सहस्रेण यत्पापं कुरुते नरः । स्नानादेवास्य नश्येत सागरे लवणांभसि

Transliteration

janmanāṃ ca sahasreṇa yatpāpaṃ kurute naraḥ | snānādevāsya naśyeta sāgare lavaṇāṃbhasi

Translation

Welche Sünde ein Mensch auch immer über tausend Geburten begeht—durch das bloße Bad vergeht sie für ihn im salzigen Wasser des Ozeans.

Word by Word

• जन्मनाम्: of births
• जन्मनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन — 'of births'

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction) — 'and'

• सहस्रेण: by a thousand
• सहस्रेण: Karana (Measure/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन — 'by a thousand'

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Relative qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-विशेषण — 'which' (qualifying पापम्)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — 'sin'

• कुरुते: commits
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — 'does/commits'

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन — 'a man'

• स्नानात्: by bathing
• स्नानात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन — 'from/through bathing'

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avyaya (Emphasis/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण (emphatic particle) — 'indeed/only'

• अस्य: of him
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन — 'of him/for him'

• नश्येत: would be destroyed
• नश्येत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन — 'would perish/be destroyed'

• सागरे: in the ocean
• सागरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन — 'in the ocean'

• लवणांभसि: in salty water
• लवणांभसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लवण-अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'लवणम् अम्भः' (salty water)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from section flow)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at dawn steps into the foaming salt sea at Prabhāsa; distant temple spires and a Śiva-liṅga shrine silhouette the horizon; conch-sounds and waves mingle as the bather offers arghya.

Characters & Entities

• sāgara (ocean)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma emphasizes the extraordinary purificatory power of tīrtha-snāna when performed in a sanctified geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sacred sea associated with Prabhāsa-kṣetra (within the Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya context).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the ocean (lavaṇāmbhas).