Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

वाचिकं मानसं पापं कर्मणा यदुपार्जितम् । तत्सर्वं नाशमायाति तस्य लिंगस्य दर्शनात्

Transliteration

vācikaṃ mānasaṃ pāpaṃ karmaṇā yadupārjitam | tatsarvaṃ nāśamāyāti tasya liṃgasya darśanāt

Translation

Sünden der Rede und des Geistes — ja alles, was durch Taten angesammelt wurde — vergeht gänzlich schon beim bloßen Anblick jenes Liṅga.

Word by Word

• vācikam: verbal (spoken)
• vācikam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vācika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter nom/acc sg adjective)

• mānasam: mental
• mānasam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter nom/acc sg adjective)

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• karmaṇā: by action/deed
• karmaṇā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन (instrumental sg)

• yat: which
• yat: Anvaya-sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• upārjitam: acquired/earned
• upārjitam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa-√arj (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मणि/कर्तरि प्रयोगे ‘उपार्जित’ (past passive participle: acquired)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

• sarvam: all/entire
• sarvam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter nom/acc sg adjective)

• nāśam: destruction
• nāśam: Gati/Phala (Result-goal/फल-गति)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन (accusative sg)

• āyāti: goes/attains
• āyāti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√yā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद (comes/attains)

• tasya: of that
• tasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (genitive sg)

• liṃgasya: of the liṅga
• liṃgasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (genitive sg)

• darśanāt: from/by seeing
• darśanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन (ablative sg; ‘from/by the sight’)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Caṇḍeśvara-liṅga

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The liṅga stands luminous; around it, symbolic forms of sins—dark knots labeled speech, mind, action—unravel and vanish upon the devotee’s gaze.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga (Śiva-liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic pilgrimage theology emphasizes that sacred encounter (darśana) with Śiva’s liṅga purifies even subtle sins of thought and speech.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, in connection with a revered Śiva-liṅga praised in this adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana of the liṅga is the stated practice; no additional rite is required in this verse beyond the sacred viewing.