Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

मेरुमंदरमानानि कृत्वा पापानि वा नरः । हरिजागरणे तानि व्यपोहति न संशयः

Transliteration

merumaṃdaramānāni kṛtvā pāpāni vā naraḥ | harijāgaraṇe tāni vyapohati na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Même si un homme a commis des fautes aussi immenses que Méru et Mandara, par la veille pour Hari il les dissipe—sans aucun doute.

Word by Word

• मेरुमन्दरमानानि: as huge as Meru and Mandara
• मेरुमन्दरमानानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेरु + मन्दर + मान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः/बहुपदसमासः (मेरु-मन्दर-मानानि = Meru- and Mandara-like in measure)

• कृत्वा: having done/committed
• कृत्वा: Kriya (Adverbial action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया

• पापानि: sins
• पापानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• वा: or/even if
• वा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive/"or")

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हरिजागरणे: in Hari’s vigil
• हरिजागरणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि + जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (हरेः जागरणे)

• तानि: those (sins)
• तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• व्यपोहति: removes/drives away
• व्यपोहति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + अप + ऊह्/ऊह (धातु; व्यपोहतिः)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• न: not/no
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator addressing a king (speaker not explicit in snippet; within Dvārakā Māhātmya discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (bhūpati/mahīpati) addressed in the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Dvārakā keeps an all-night vigil before Kṛṣṇa’s shrine; towering silhouettes of Meru and Mandara appear as dark ‘sins’ dissolving into light from the deity and lamps.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Meru
• Mandara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

No burden of sin is portrayed as too great to be purified by sincere vigil for Hari.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, where Hari’s observances are celebrated as supremely purifying.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Harijāgaraṇa (night vigil) as a means of pāpa-kṣaya (removal of sin).