Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

यदन्यत्र कृतं पापं तीर्थे तद्याति लाघवम् । न तीर्थकृतमन्यत्र क्वचिदेव व्यपोहति

Transliteration

yadanyatra kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ tīrthe tadyāti lāghavam | na tīrthakṛtamanyatra kvacideva vyapohati

Translation

Le péché commis ailleurs s’allège lorsqu’on vient à un tīrtha ; mais le péché commis dans un tīrtha ne s’efface nulle part.

Word by Word

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; relative pronoun (here: 'whatever')

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place: elsewhere)

• कृतम्: done, committed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; agreeing with पापम्

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; nominative singular

• तीर्थे: in a tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; locative singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun referring to 'that (sin)'

• याति: goes, becomes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; present 3rd sg

• लाघवम्: lightness, diminution
• लाघवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; accusative singular (result/state)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• तीर्थकृतम्: (sin) done at a tīrtha
• तीर्थकृतम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे प्रयोगः (तीर्थे कृतम् = done at a tīrtha)

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (elsewhere)

• क्वचित्: ever, anywhere
• क्वचित्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अनिश्चित-देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (indefinite adverb: anywhere/ever)

• एव: at all, indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis)

• व्यपोहति: is removed, is dispelled
• व्यपोहति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप + ऊह्/व्यूह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; present 3rd sg; उपसर्गः व्य- (वि + अप)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim arrives at the luminous Prabhāsa shore/kshetra, hands folded, while a subtle shadow-figure of ‘pāpa’ becomes lighter and disperses; beside it, a warning tableau shows a transgression within the sacred boundary weighed heavily on a cosmic scale.

Characters & Entities

• tīrtha
• pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage can lessen prior faults, but wrongdoing in a holy place carries exceptional weight and is difficult to expiate.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The principle is stated in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra context, applying to tīrthas generally.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An ethical injunction: maintain purity of conduct at tīrthas, since tīrtha-committed sins are not easily removed.