Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

दह्यमानं नरं दृष्ट्वा तुलसीकाष्ठवह्निना । जन्मकोटिसहस्रैस्तु तोषितस्तैर्जनार्दनः

Transliteration

dahyamānaṃ naraṃ dṛṣṭvā tulasīkāṣṭhavahninā | janmakoṭisahasraistu toṣitastairjanārdanaḥ

Translation

Voyant un homme brûler dans un feu nourri de bois de tulasī, Janārdana (Viṣṇu) s’en réjouit, comme si le mérite de milliers de crores de naissances lui avait été offert.

Word by Word

• दह्यमानम्: being burned
• दह्यमानम्: Karma (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √दह् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present passive participle) √दह्; पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'naram')

• नरम्: a man
• नरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) √दृश्; अव्यय-भाव

• तुलसीकाष्ठवह्निना: by the fire of tulasī-wood
• तुलसीकाष्ठवह्निना: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुलसी-काष्ठ-वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; करण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• जन्मकोटिसहस्रैः: for thousands of crores of births
• जन्मकोटिसहस्रैः: Adhikarana (Extent/measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्म-कोटि-सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; प्रमाण/अवधि-निर्देश (measure: for many births)

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

• तोषितः: pleased/satisfied
• तोषितः: Karta (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तोषित (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (PPP) √तुष् (तोषणे); पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• तैः: by them/thereby
• तैः: Karana (Instrument/agent-cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• जनार्दनः: Janārdana (Viṣṇu)
• जनार्दनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनार्दन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Prahlāda (within the Dvārakā Māhātmya narration; Sūta resumes at 43.22)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā-kṣetra (context)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Above the cremation fire, Janārdana appears in the sky or within a radiant cloud, gazing compassionately; the flames carry tulasī fragrance; merit is visualized as luminous lotuses rising.

Characters & Entities

• Tulasī
• Janārdana (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional symbols (Tulasī) transform final rites into an offering that draws Viṣṇu’s direct pleasure and grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, presented in the Skanda Purāṇa as a supreme Vaiṣṇava sacred landscape (sthāna-māhātmya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Cremation performed with fire fueled by Tulasī-wood is extolled as highly meritorious.