Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

त्वत्पादांबुज भक्तानां न दुःखं पापिनामपि । किं पुनः पापहीनानां द्वादशीसेविनां नृणाम्

Transliteration

tvatpādāṃbuja bhaktānāṃ na duḥkhaṃ pāpināmapi | kiṃ punaḥ pāpahīnānāṃ dvādaśīsevināṃ nṛṇām

Translation

For those devoted to Your lotus feet there is no suffering—even if they are sinners; how much more, then, for sinless people who faithfully observe Dvādaśī.

Word by Word

• tvat: of you/your
• tvat: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-एकवचन (Genitive singular), सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• pāda-ambuja-bhaktānām: of the devotees of (your) lotus-feet
• pāda-ambuja-bhaktānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + ambuja (प्रातिपदिक) + bhakta (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पादाम्बुजस्य भक्ताः)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• duḥkham: sorrow, suffering
• duḥkham: Karma/Predicate nominal (Object or predicative/कर्म-प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन (Nom./Acc. singular)

• pāpinām: of sinners
• pāpinām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

• api: even, also
• api: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध-प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• kim: what?
• kim: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative)

• punaḥ: then, moreover
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: again/more so)

• pāpa-hīnānām: of those free from sin
• pāpa-hīnānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पापेन हीनाः)

• dvādaśī-sevinām: of those who observe/serve the Dvādaśī (fast)
• dvādaśī-sevinām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśī (प्रातिपदिक) + sevin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (द्वादशीं सेवमानाः)

• nṛṇām: of men/people
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

Speaker

Candraśarmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The devotee points inwardly to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet as the refuge beyond sorrow, while symbols of Dvādaśī—tulasī, water for pāraṇa, and a calendar mark—frame the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Lotus feet of the Lord
• Dvādaśī (holy day)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to the Lord’s feet is portrayed as stronger than demerit; observance of Dvādaśī further intensifies spiritual protection.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā’s Vaiṣṇava sacred context, where Dvādaśī devotion to Kṛṣṇa is central.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Serving/observing Dvādaśī (dvādaśī-sevā), typically involving worship, restraint, and often vigil as per the chapter’s flow.