Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

गच्छ रैवतकं शैलं यत्र दामोदरः स्थितः । कृत्वा मासोपवासं तु द्विजो दामोदराग्रतः

Transliteration

gaccha raivatakaṃ śailaṃ yatra dāmodaraḥ sthitaḥ | kṛtvā māsopavāsaṃ tu dvijo dāmodarāgrataḥ

Translation

Geh zum Berge Raivataka, wo der Herr Dāmodara weilt. Hat ein Brahmane einen Monat lang gefastet und steht in Andacht vor Dāmodara, so erlangt er die verheißene Frucht.

Word by Word

• gaccha: go
• gaccha: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• raivatakam: to Raivataka
• raivatakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raivataka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (as destination)

• śailam: mountain
• śailam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; raivatakam इति विशेषणेन विशिष्टम्

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• dāmodaraḥ: Dāmodara (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• dāmodaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāmodara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sthitaḥ: is situated / stands
• sthitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्थितः’ = having stayed/being present

• kṛtvā: having performed
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having done’

• māsa-upavāsam: a month-long fast
• māsa-upavāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक) + upavāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘मासस्य उपवासः’ (a month-long fast)

• tu: indeed / and
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक (but/indeed)

• dvijaḥ: a brāhmaṇa (twice-born)
• dvijaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• dāmodara-agrataḥ: in front of Dāmodara
• dāmodara-agrataḥ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dāmodara (प्रातिपदिक) + agrataḥ (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निबद्ध)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; ‘दामोदरस्य अग्रतः’ इति अर्थे; अव्यय—‘in front of Dāmodara’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya narration context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Raivataka-śaila

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim ascends the sacred Raivataka mountain path toward a Dāmodara shrine; he is lean from a month-long fast, carrying a water pot and prayer beads, standing before the deity in reverent stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Raivataka
• Dāmodara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage joined with disciplined vrata (fasting) before the deity is presented as a powerful purifier and merit-bestower.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mount Raivataka, identified as the place where Dāmodara resides within the Prabhāsa sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Māsa-upavāsa: observing a month-long fast in the presence of Dāmodara.