Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

स्नानं दानं जपो होमः पितृदेवाभिपूजनम् । सर्वं कोटिगुणं प्रोक्तं भास्करस्यवचो यथा

Transliteration

snānaṃ dānaṃ japo homaḥ pitṛdevābhipūjanam | sarvaṃ koṭiguṇaṃ proktaṃ bhāskarasyavaco yathā

Translation

Le bain sacré, l’aumône, la récitation des mantras, l’offrande au feu (homa) et le culte rendu aux ancêtres et aux dieux—tout cela est proclamé porter un mérite multiplié par un crore, selon la parole de Bhāskara.

Word by Word

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karta/Topic (enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषय

• dānam: charity
• dānam: Karta/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषय

• japaḥ: recitation (japa)
• japaḥ: Karta/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषय

• homaḥ: fire-offering
• homaḥ: Karta/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: homa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषय

• pitṛ-deva-abhi-pūjanam: worship of ancestors and gods
• pitṛ-deva-abhi-pūjanam: Karta/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक) + abhi-√pūj (धातु) + -ana (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पितॄणां देवानां च अभिपूजनम्)

• sarvam: all (this)
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समस्त-समुच्चयस्य विशेषण

• koṭi-guṇam: a crore-fold
• koṭi-guṇam: Predicate adjective (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कोट्या गुणः)

• proktam: is declared/said
• proktam: Kriya (verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु) + -ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय ("is said")

• bhāskarasya: of Bhāskara (the Sun)
• bhāskarasya: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• vacaḥ: word/statement
• vacaḥ: Pramana/Reference
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा—उपमान/प्रमाण ("as the word")

• yathā: as/according to
• yathā: Comparison/Reference marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (as/according to)

Speaker

Unspecified (attributed to Bhāskara’s teaching within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Bhāskara-prabhāva)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic ritual tableau at Prabhāsa: pilgrims bathing, priests conducting homa, devotees chanting japa with mālā, donors giving alms, and a family performing pitṛ-tarpaṇa; above, Bhāskara radiates approving light, symbolizing koṭi-guṇa merit.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāskara
• Pitṛs
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ordinary dharmic acts become extraordinarily fruitful when performed under the sanctity of Sūrya’s blessing and sacred place-time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where these acts are extolled as koṭiguṇa (crore-fold).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna, dāna, japa, homa, and worship of pitṛs and devas—promised multiplied merit.