Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

उद्धरेत्पितृवर्गं च मातृवर्गं च भामिनि । बाल्ये वयसि यत्पापं वार्धक्ये यौवनेऽपि वा

Transliteration

uddharetpitṛvargaṃ ca mātṛvargaṃ ca bhāmini | bālye vayasi yatpāpaṃ vārdhakye yauvane'pi vā

Translation

Ô belle dame, il relève et délivre la lignée des pères comme la lignée des mères ; et quel que soit le péché commis dans l’enfance, dans la jeunesse, ou même dans la vieillesse—

Word by Word

• uddharet: should uplift / deliver
• uddharet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular)

• pitṛvargam: the group of forefathers
• pitṛvargam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + varga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (pitṝṇāṃ vargaḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• mātṛvargam: the group of mothers (maternal ancestors)
• mātṛvargam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + varga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (mātṝṇāṃ vargaḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्ययम् (conjunction)

• bhāmini: O fair lady
• bhāmini: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāminī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन (Vocative/8th), एकवचनम्

• bālye: in childhood
• bālye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्

• vayasi: in age / at a stage of life
• vayasi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vayas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्

• yat: whatever
• yat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धक-विशेषणम् (relative)

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम्

• vārdhakye: in old age
• vārdhakye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārdhakya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्

• yauvane: in youth
• yauvane: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yauvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचनम्

• api: also / even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक-अव्ययम् (particle: also/even)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्ययम् (disjunctive particle)

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Devī; inferred from 'bhāmini' and immediate Devī dialogue in next chapter)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Someśvara/Somnath)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhāminī (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee prays at Someśvara; behind him appear two ancestral lines—paternal and maternal—rising from shadow into light, suggesting uplift; the devotee’s life stages (childhood, youth, old age) are shown as faint vignettes of past errors dissolving.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Pitṛvarga
• Mātṛvarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True tīrtha-merit is not merely personal; it radiates to one’s ancestral lines and addresses karmic burdens across one’s whole lifespan.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, in the context of Someśvara’s worship and its trans-generational merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the worship/darśana of Someśvara (as described in the surrounding verses) as a means of uplift and purification.