Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

स कदाचिच्चरन्पापः पुष्करे तु जगाम वै । ददर्श शांकरं वेश्म लतापादपसंकुलम्

Transliteration

sa kadāciccaranpāpaḥ puṣkare tu jagāma vai | dadarśa śāṃkaraṃ veśma latāpādapasaṃkulam

Translation

Jener sündige Mann gelangte, umherirrend, eines Tages tatsächlich nach Puṣkara. Dort erblickte er eine Wohnstatt Śaṅkaras, ein śivaitisches Heiligtum, dicht überwuchert von Ranken und Bäumen.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• कदाचित्: once, at some time
• कदाचित्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• चरन्: wandering, moving about
• चरन्: Karta (कर्ता/Agent, participial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (Present active participle/शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• पापः: a sinner, wicked man
• पापः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; apposition to सः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पुष्करे: at Puṣkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; contrast/emphasis)

• जगाम: went
• जगाम: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

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

• ददर्श: saw
• ददर्श: Kriya (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदी

• शांकरम्: Śaiva, belonging to Śaṅkara
• शांकरम्: Karma (कर्म/Object; qualifier of वेश्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शांकर (प्रातिपदिक; शङ्कर-सम्बन्धिन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• वेश्म: house, dwelling
• वेश्म: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेश्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लता-पादप-संकुलम्: crowded with creepers and trees
• लता-पादप-संकुलम्: Karma (कर्म/Object; qualifier of वेश्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लता (प्रातिपदिक) + पादप (प्रातिपदिक) + संकुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative): ‘लताभिः पादपैश्च संकुलम्’ (crowded with creepers and trees)

Speaker

Śiva (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A wandering fisherman arrives at Puṣkara and beholds a Śaiva shrine—Śaṅkara’s dwelling—nearly swallowed by creepers and trees, evoking both abandonment and latent power.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Śaiva shrine/veśma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy place and a neglected shrine can still become the doorway to merit when encountered, even by a sinner.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara is mentioned as the immediate locale, within a broader Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya narration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse sets the scene for an unintended act that yields sacred consequence.