Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

गवा हता द्विजहता ये च वै दंष्ट्रिभिर्हता । आत्मनो घातका ये तु सर्पदष्टाश्च ये मृताः

Transliteration

gavā hatā dvijahatā ye ca vai daṃṣṭribhirhatā | ātmano ghātakā ye tu sarpadaṣṭāśca ye mṛtāḥ

Translation

Wer durch eine Kuh (durch Unfall) ums Leben kam, wer infolge der Sünde, einen Brāhmaṇa getötet zu haben, starb, wer von tückischen, zahnbewehrten Tieren erschlagen wurde, wer sich selbst tötete und wer an Schlangenbiss starb—selbst sie sind in die erlösende Kraft dieses heiligen Feldes einbezogen.

Word by Word

• गवाः: cows
• गवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• हताः: killed
• हताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘हत’ = slain

• द्विजहताः: killed by/through a brāhmaṇa (or: those for whom a brāhmaṇa was killed)
• द्विजहताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्विज + हत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (द्विजस्य हतः)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

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

• दंष्ट्रिभिः: by fanged creatures
• दंष्ट्रिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दंष्ट्रिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; दंष्ट्रा-युक्ताः (fang-bearing creatures)

• हताः: killed
• हताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• आत्मनः: of oneself
• आत्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• घातकाः: killers
• घातकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्तृवाचक

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• सर्पदष्टाः: bitten by a snake
• सर्पदष्टाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्प + दष्ट (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुषः (सर्पेण दष्टः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• मृताः: dead
• मृताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मृ (धातु) → मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya (speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate panorama: souls of those who died by accident (cow-related), by grievous sin (brahma-hatyā consequence), by wild beasts, by suicide, and by snakebite are shown approaching a luminous Prabhāsa shrine; the kṣetra’s radiance purifies them.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃgāleśvara
• Prabhāsa
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prabhāsa’s tīrtha-mahātmya emphasizes that divine grace and holy places can extend even to those who met difficult or blame-laden deaths.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, in connection with Saṃgāleśvara and its sin-removing fame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it lists categories of deaths within a broader discourse on tīrtha-merit.