Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । कुत्र कुत्र महादेव जलस्नानाद्विशुध्यति । किमर्थं सागरे दोषः प्राप्यते कौतुकं महत्

Transliteration

devyuvāca | kutra kutra mahādeva jalasnānādviśudhyati | kimarthaṃ sāgare doṣaḥ prāpyate kautukaṃ mahat

Translation

Die Göttin sprach: „O Mahādeva, an welchen Orten wird man durch ein Wasserbad gereinigt? Und warum heißt es, im Ozean entstehe eine Verfehlung? Das ist mir ein großes Wunder.“

Word by Word

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे वक्तृनिर्देशः (speaker tag)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• कुत्र: where
• कुत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb of place)

• कुत्र: where (in which places)
• कुत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्ति (emphatic repetition); प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय

• महादेव: O Mahādeva
• महादेव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचन; समासः—महान् + देवः (कर्मधारय)

• जलस्नानात्: from bathing in water
• जलस्नानात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—जले स्नानम् (षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष)

• विशुध्यति: becomes purified
• विशुध्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: शुध् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; उपसर्गः—वि

• किमर्थम्: why
• किमर्थम्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किमर्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative: for what reason/why)

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

• दोषः: fault/defect
• दोषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्राप्यते: is obtained/comes about
• प्राप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive); उपसर्गः—प्र

• कौतुकम्: curiosity/wonder
• कौतुकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying)

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādeva (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, curious and reverent, questions Mahādeva seated in serene majesty; behind them the Prabhāsa sea and a distant shrine. The moment captures philosophical wonder about purity and oceanic doṣa.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Mahādeva (Śiva)
• Ocean (sāgara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is context-sensitive: even purifying acts require right place, rule, and understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s oceanic tīrtha, whose special rule (doṣa/exception) prompts the question.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it raises a doctrinal/ritual question about purification by water-bathing and ocean-related doṣa.