Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

किं पुनर्वेदपाठं तु स्नानकाले करोति यः । तस्य यल्लभते पुण्यं न ज्ञातं नरनायक

Transliteration

kiṃ punarvedapāṭhaṃ tu snānakāle karoti yaḥ | tasya yallabhate puṇyaṃ na jñātaṃ naranāyaka

Translation

¡Cuánto más, oh caudillo de los hombres, para quien recita el Veda en el momento del baño ritual! El mérito que obtiene es inconmensurable.

Word by Word

• किम्: what (then)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययप्रयोग (interrogative particle)

• पुनः: further, moreover
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति/अधिक्यार्थक (adverb: again/further)

• वेदपाठम्: recitation of the Veda
• वेदपाठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद-पाठ (प्रातिपदिक; वेद + पाठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वेदस्य पाठः)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक (particle: but/indeed)

• स्नानकाले: at the time of bathing
• स्नानकाले: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान-काल (प्रातिपदिक; स्नान + काल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुष (स्नानस्य कालः)

• करोति: does, performs
• करोति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

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

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• ज्ञातम्: known
• ज्ञातम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘known’ (elliptic: न ज्ञातम् = is not known)

• नरनायक: O leader of men (king)
• नरनायक: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरनायक (प्रातिपदिक; नर + नायक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणां नायकः)

Speaker

Unspecified (addressing a king; likely Sūta in Purāṇic frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nara-nāyaka / nara-īśvara (king addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at Dvārakā’s sacred waters perform a bathing rite while a devotee recites Vedic hymns, with Kṛṣṇa’s presence implied through icon/temple backdrop and sea-horizon.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Puṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vedic recitation performed as worship magnifies sanctity; its fruit is described as immeasurable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, where the Lord’s worship and snāna rites are praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reciting Vedic passages during the deity’s bathing time (snāna-kāla).