Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

स्नानं ते नरकं घोरं प्रयास्यंति न संशयः । कृतघ्नानां च ये लोका ये लोकाः पापकर्मिणाम्

Transliteration

snānaṃ te narakaṃ ghoraṃ prayāsyaṃti na saṃśayaḥ | kṛtaghnānāṃ ca ye lokā ye lokāḥ pāpakarmiṇām

Translation

Indem sie in dir baden, werden sie ohne Zweifel in eine schreckliche Hölle gelangen—zu den Welten der Undankbaren und zu den Welten der Übeltäter, die sündige Taten begehen.

Word by Word

• स्नानम्: bathing / bath
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘स्नान’ (bathing)

• ते: your
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• घोरम्: terrible
• घोरम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• प्रयास्यन्ति: will go / will attain
• प्रयास्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-या (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल/Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• कृतघ्नानाम्: of the ungrateful
• कृतघ्नानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतघ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• ये: which / those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• लोकाः: worlds
• लोकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• ये: which / those
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• लोकाः: worlds
• लोकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• पापकर्मिणाम्: of evil-doers
• पापकर्मिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप-कर्मिन् (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + कर्मिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (forbidden jalāśaya)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer, unspecified

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark moral vision: pilgrims approaching a darkened water-body while, in a symbolic overlay, naraka realms loom—chains, smoke, and shadowy judges—contrasted with the luminous sacred kṣetra beyond.

Characters & Entities

• Ocean (Samudra)
• Naraka
• Kṛtaghna
• Pāpakarmī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual acts like bathing yield results according to the purity of the medium and the moral context; heed dharmic prohibitions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra; the narrative underscores that sacred geography includes both sanctifying and cautionary zones.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A negative prescription: bathing (snāna) in the cursed water is condemned and said to lead to naraka.