Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 202

Devanagari script

म्लेच्छानां छेदनं कृत्वा याज्ञवल्यपुरोहितः । बहुस्वर्णेन यज्ञेन यक्ष्ये निष्कृतिकारणात्

Transliteration

mlecchānāṃ chedanaṃ kṛtvā yājñavalyapurohitaḥ | bahusvarṇena yajñena yakṣye niṣkṛtikāraṇāt

Translation

Nachdem ich die Mlecchas niedergestreckt habe, werde ich mit Yājñavalkya als meinem Purohita ein Yajña voll reichen Goldes vollziehen, um der Sühne und Wiederherstellung willen.

Word by Word

• म्लेच्छानाम्: of the mlecchas
• म्लेच्छानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: म्लेच्छ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); बहुवचन

• छेदनम्: cutting, slaying
• छेदनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छेदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभाव

• याज्ञवल्य-पुरोहितः: the priest of Yājñavalkya
• याज्ञवल्य-पुरोहितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याज्ञवल्य (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरोहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (याज्ञवल्यस्य पुरोहितः)

• बहु-स्वर्णेन: with much gold
• बहु-स्वर्णेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; कर्मधारय (बहु स्वर्णम्)

• यज्ञेन: by/with a sacrifice
• यज्ञेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• यक्ष्ये: I will sacrifice, I will perform a yajña
• यक्ष्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future); आत्मनेपद; उत्तमपुरुष (1st); एकवचन

• निष्कृति-कारणात्: for the sake of expiation (as the cause)
• निष्कृति-कारणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निष्कृति (प्रातिपदिक) + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (निष्कृतेः कारणम्)

Speaker

Unspecified (prophetic first-person voice within the Māhātmya passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of the kathā (likely sages; immediate interlocutor shifts to Nārada/Vāmana narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A victorious ruler vows a gold-rich yajña for expiation; Yājñavalkya stands as purohita; sacrificial ground with altars, gold vessels, and attendants preparing offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Mleccha
• Yājñavalkya
• Yajña
• Niṣkṛti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Restoration of dharma is paired with purification: force removes adharma, and yajña/niṣkṛti re-establishes sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in the verse; it belongs to the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya’s broader eschatological frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of a gold-endowed yajña for niṣkṛti (expiation/atonement), with a designated purohita (Yājñavalkya).