Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

निवृत्ते भारते युद्धे तत्र तीर्थे किरीटिना । प्रायश्चित्तं पुरा चीर्णं विष्णुना प्रेरिता त्मना

Transliteration

nivṛtte bhārate yuddhe tatra tīrthe kirīṭinā | prāyaścittaṃ purā cīrṇaṃ viṣṇunā preritā tmanā

Translation

Nachdem der Bhārata-Krieg beendet war, vollzog dort an jenem Tīrtha einst der Diademträger (Arjuna) die Sühne (prāyaścitta), innerlich von Viṣṇu angetrieben.

Word by Word

• nivṛtte: when (it) had ended
• nivṛtte: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni-vṛt (धातु) → nivṛtta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter); भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle) — ‘having ceased/ended’

• bhārate: in the Bhārata (war/episode)
• bhārate: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• yuddhe: in the war
• yuddhe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable); देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• tīrthe: at the sacred ford/place
• tīrthe: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• kirīṭinā: by the diademed one (Arjuna)
• kirīṭinā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kirīṭin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• prāyaścittam: expiation
• prāyaścittam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāyaścitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• purā: formerly
• purā: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Indeclinable); कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• cīrṇam: performed
• cīrṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: car (धातु) → cīrṇa (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया/प्रथमा एकवचन (Acc./Nom. Singular) — here agreeing with prāyaścittam

• viṣṇunā: by Viṣṇu
• viṣṇunā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

• preritā: impelled
• preritā: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-īr (धातु) → prerita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा एकवचन (Nominative Singular) — intended with ātmā/ātmanā sense ‘impelled’ (text has sandhi irregularity)

• ātmanā: by (his) self
• ātmanā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular), पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Naratīrtha (contextual locus of Arjuna’s prāyaścitta)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Arjuna, the diademed hero, stands at a sacred ford after the war, subdued and reflective, performing expiatory rites; Viṣṇu’s presence is suggested as an inner light or subtle form guiding him.

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna (Kirīṭin)
• Viṣṇu
• Bhārata war (Mahābhārata)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even great heroes seek purification after violence; sacred places support repentance and restoration of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha in Prabhāsa-kṣetra where Arjuna performed prāyaścitta (contextually linked with the nearby named tīrthas in this adhyāya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prāyaścitta—acts of expiation/atonement—performed at the tīrtha.