Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

स्मृत्वा हरिहरौ गंगां कृत्वा तीरेण मार्जनम् । गत्वा जागरणे विष्णोर्दत्त्वा दानं च शक्तितः

Transliteration

smṛtvā hariharau gaṃgāṃ kṛtvā tīreṇa mārjanam | gatvā jāgaraṇe viṣṇordattvā dānaṃ ca śaktitaḥ

Translation

Indem man Hari und Hara sowie die Gaṅgā gedenkt, am Ufer Reinigungsriten vollzieht, zur nächtlichen Vigil (jāgaraṇa) für Viṣṇu geht und nach Kräften Almosen gibt—dies alles wird als hochverdienstvoll gepriesen.

Word by Word

• स्मृत्वा: having remembered
• स्मृत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund); ‘having remembered’

• हरिहरौ: Hari and Hara (Vishnu and Shiva)
• हरिहरौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक) + हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), द्विवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (हरिश्च हरश्च)

• गङ्गाम्: Ganga
• गङ्गाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund); ‘having done’

• तीरेण: on/at the bank (by the shore)
• तीरेण: Adhikarana/Karana (Locative/Instrumental nuance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/अधिकरण-निर्देश), एकवचन

• मार्जनम्: cleansing/purification
• मार्जनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• गत्वा: having gone
• गत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund); ‘having gone’

• जागरणे: in the vigil (night-wake)
• जागरणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• विष्णोः: of Vishnu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund); ‘having given’

• दानम्: gift/charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (and)

• शक्तितः: according to one's ability
• शक्तितः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय; ‘शक्तितः’ = यथाशक्ति/शक्त्यानुसारम् (according to ability)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra (bank tīrtha)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a sacred bank performing mārjana (cleansing), hands joined in Hari-Hara remembrance; later, a lamp-lit Viṣṇu temple night-vigil with devotees offering dāna.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Hara
• Gaṅgā
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage-dharma blends remembrance, purification, vigil, and charity—uniting devotion to both Śiva and Viṣṇu.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpathakṣetra’s tīrtha setting is implied; Gaṅgā is invoked as the archetypal purifier within the māhātmya framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīra-mārjana (bank purification), Viṣṇu-jāgaraṇa (night vigil), and dāna according to one’s means.