Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

यः सकृत्कुरुते यात्रां क्षेत्रे वस्त्रापथे पुनः । विगाह्य तत्र तीर्थानि कृतकृत्यः स जायते

Transliteration

yaḥ sakṛtkurute yātrāṃ kṣetre vastrāpathe punaḥ | vigāhya tatra tīrthāni kṛtakṛtyaḥ sa jāyate

Translation

Wer auch nur ein einziges Mal die Pilgerfahrt zum Kṣetra von Vastrāpatha unternimmt und in die dortigen Tīrthas eintaucht, wird zu einem, der den Sinn des Lebens erfüllt hat.

Word by Word

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Kala/Avadhi (Temporal adjunct/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (काल/आवृत्तिवाचक—once)

• कुरुते: does, performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यात्राम्: pilgrimage
• यात्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• क्षेत्रे: in the sacred field
• क्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• वस्त्रापथे: at Vastrāpatha
• वस्त्रापथे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वस्त्रस्य पथः) — स्थाननाम

• पुनः: again, further
• पुनः: Kala/Avadhi (Temporal adjunct/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरावृत्तिवाचक/again)

• विगाह्य: having bathed/immersed
• विगाह्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि-गाह् (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृत्)
• Form: अव्ययभावे कृदन्त (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्यय; absolutive/gerund)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक)

• तीर्थानि: holy fords/shrines
• तीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• कृतकृत्यः: one who has fulfilled his purpose
• कृतकृत्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृ धातु + क्त) + कृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (कृतं कृत्यं यस्य/कृतकृत्यः = one whose duty is done)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• जायते: is born, becomes
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra tīrthāni (collective)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims arrive at a coastal/riverine sacred tract called Vastrāpatha; they descend steps into a tīrtha, perform snāna, and emerge with folded hands, suggesting ‘kṛtakṛtya’ fulfillment.

Characters & Entities

• Vastrāpatha
• Tīrthas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even a single sincere pilgrimage and sacred bathing at the right kṣetra is presented as spiritually completing one’s life-aim.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha Kṣetra in the Prabhāsa region, with its associated tīrthas for ritual immersion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yātrā (pilgrimage) to Vastrāpatha and vigāha/snān (immersion/bathing) in the tīrthas located there.