Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

क्षीरस्नानं प्रकुर्वंति ये नराः कृष्ण मूर्धनि । शताश्वमेधजं पुण्यं बिंदुना बिंदुना स्मृतम्

Transliteration

kṣīrasnānaṃ prakurvaṃti ye narāḥ kṛṣṇa mūrdhani | śatāśvamedhajaṃ puṇyaṃ biṃdunā biṃdunā smṛtam

Translation

Ceux qui accomplissent l’aspersion rituelle de lait (abhiṣeka) sur la tête de Kṛṣṇa—chaque goutte est tenue en mémoire comme conférant le mérite né de cent sacrifices Aśvamedha.

Word by Word

• क्षीरस्नानम्: milk-bath (bathing with milk)
• क्षीरस्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर-स्नान (प्रातिपदिक; क्षीर + स्नान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रकुर्वन्ति: perform, do
• प्रकुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• नराः: men, people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कृष्ण: O Krishna
• कृष्ण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• मूर्धनि: on the head
• मूर्धनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• शताश्वमेधजम्: born of (equal to) a hundred Aśvamedha sacrifices
• शताश्वमेधजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण) of पुण्यम्
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत-अश्वमेध-ज (प्रातिपदिक; शत + अश्वमेध + ज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुण्यम्: merit, holy reward
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म) (as ‘merit’ obtained)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• बिन्दुना: by a drop
• बिन्दुना: Karana (Instrument/करण) (distributive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• बिन्दुना: drop by drop
• बिन्दुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular) (पुनरुक्ति/distributive repetition)

• स्मृतम्: is said/remembered (as)
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa narrative voice addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa) addressed in the chapter context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Temple sanctum in Dvārakā: devotees pour warm milk in a steady stream over Kṛṣṇa’s crowned head; droplets sparkle as if each becomes a sacrificial fire-offering; priests hold conch and bell; white milk contrasts with dark-blue icon.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Abhiṣeka (snāna)
• Kṣīra (milk)
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional service (abhiṣeka) to Kṛṣṇa, especially in a sacred setting, is extolled as supremely meritorious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā by the ongoing Dvārakā-māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kṣīra-snāna/abhiṣeka—bathing Kṛṣṇa (the deity) with milk.