Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

क्षेत्रं पीठं गर्भगृहं प्रभासस्य प्रकीर्त्यते । यथाक्रमं फलं तस्य कोटिकोटिगुणं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

kṣetraṃ pīṭhaṃ garbhagṛhaṃ prabhāsasya prakīrtyate | yathākramaṃ phalaṃ tasya koṭikoṭiguṇaṃ smṛtam

Translation

Prabhāsa is proclaimed as having the kṣetra, the pīṭha, and the garbhagṛha. In that very order, the spiritual fruit is remembered as multiplied by crores upon crores.

Word by Word

• क्षेत्रम्: field; sacred area
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; nominative/accusative singular (neuter)

• पीठम्: seat; pedestal; pīṭha
• पीठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; nominative/accusative singular (neuter)

• गर्भगृहम्: sanctum; inner shrine
• गर्भगृहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ + गृह (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गर्भस्य गृहः)

• प्रभासस्य: of Prabhāsa
• प्रभासस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive singular

• प्रकीर्त्यते: is proclaimed/declared
• प्रकीर्त्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), present indicative: 'is proclaimed'

• यथाक्रमम्: in order; sequentially
• यथाक्रमम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा + क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय (adverb): 'in due order/according to sequence'

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; nominative/accusative singular (neuter)

• तस्य: of that; its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive singular (pronoun)

• कोटिकोटिगुणम्: crore upon crore times (multiplied)
• कोटिकोटिगुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि + कोटि + गुण (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी/तत्पुरुषार्थे समास: 'कोटि-कोटि-गुण' = 'many crores-fold'

• स्मृतम्: is said/considered
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; past passive participle: 'is said/remembered'

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic three-tier sacred diagram: broad Prabhāsa-kṣetra encircling a pīṭha zone, culminating in the garbhagṛha of the central shrine; Śiva explains that merit multiplies ‘koṭi-koṭi-guṇa’ inwardly.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• kṣetra
• pīṭha
• garbhagṛha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holiness is graded: moving inward toward the sacred center intensifies merit, reflecting deeper proximity to the Divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa, described through its concentric sacred zones: kṣetra, pīṭha, and garbhagṛha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No particular rite is named; the verse teaches a pilgrim’s orientation—approaching the inner sanctum yields exponentially greater fruit.