Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

तामसं राजसं चापि यत्किञ्चिद्विष्णुपूजने । तच्च सत्त्वत्वमायाति निम्नगा च यथार्णवे

Transliteration

tāmasaṃ rājasaṃ cāpi yatkiñcidviṣṇupūjane | tacca sattvatvamāyāti nimnagā ca yathārṇave

Translation

Dans l’adoration de Viṣṇu, tout ce qui est entaché de tamas (obscurité) ou de rajas (passion) se change aussi en sattva (pureté), comme la rivière qui, parvenue à l’océan, ne fait plus qu’un avec lui.

Word by Word

• tāmasam: tamasic (quality/thing)
• tāmasam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāmasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; रजसं इति सह (that which is tamasic)

• rājasam: rajasic (quality/thing)
• rājasam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तामसम् इति सह

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावन/अपि-कारक अव्यय (also/even)

• yat-kiñcit: whatever (there is)
• yat-kiñcit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kiñcit (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चितपरिमाणवाचक (whatever/anything)

• viṣṇu-pūjane: in the worship of Vishnu
• viṣṇu-pūjane: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘विष्णोः पूजने’

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (pronoun)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• sattvatvam: the state of sattva
• sattvatvam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक) + tva (त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; भाववाचक (state of sattva)

• āyāti: comes to/becomes
• āyāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√yā (या)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• nimnagā: a river
• nimnagā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nimnagā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; उपमान (simile subject)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Upamāna (Simile marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (as/just as)

• arṇave: in the ocean
• arṇave: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Dvārakā Māhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in this excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomatī–Sāgara (implied saṅgama)

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas / pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A river (Gomatī) flowing from inland toward the vast ocean, with devotees performing Viṣṇu-pūjā on the banks; dark and restless tones near the source gradually brighten into luminous calm at the sea-merge, symbolizing tamas/rajas becoming sattva.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Viṣṇupūjā
• Guṇas (tamas/rajas/sattva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Viṣṇu-bhakti is presented as intrinsically purifying, capable of elevating mixed motives into sattvic devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the Dvārakā Māhātmya theme: the Vaiṣṇava kṣetra and its worship-culture refine the devotee.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Viṣṇupūjā (worship of Viṣṇu) is recommended; the focus is on the purifying effect of sincere practice.