Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

एकादशीं समारभ्य पंचमी पूर्णिमादिनम् । तदेतत्पंचकं प्रोक्तं सर्वपापहरं नृणाम्

Transliteration

ekādaśīṃ samārabhya paṃcamī pūrṇimādinam | tadetatpaṃcakaṃ proktaṃ sarvapāpaharaṃ nṛṇām

Translation

En commençant à Ekādaśī et en allant jusqu’au cinquième jour qui s’achève à la pleine lune : tel est le Pañcaka, déclaré destructeur de tous les péchés des hommes.

Word by Word

• ekādaśīm: the eleventh (lunar day), Ekādaśī
• ekādaśīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekādaśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• samārabhya: starting from
• samārabhya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-√rabh (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having begun/starting from’

• paṃcamī: the fifth (lunar day), Pañcamī
• paṃcamī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃcamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• pūrṇimā-dinam: the day of the full moon
• pūrṇimā-dinam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrṇimā (प्रातिपदिक) + dina (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Genitive-determinative): ‘pūrṇimāyāḥ dinam’

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम (Pronoun)

• paṃcakam: a set of five (days)
• paṃcakam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃcaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• proktam: is declared
• proktam: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि-क्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); ‘is said/declared’

• sarva-pāpa-haram: removing all sins
• sarva-pāpa-haram: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + hara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘sarveṣāṃ pāpānāṃ haraḥ’ (remover of all sins)

• nṛṇām: of men/people
• nṛṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) addressing the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhīṣma-pañcaka (Kārtika śukla)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A five-day sequence depicted as five panels: Ekādaśī, Dvādaśī, Trayodaśī, Caturdaśī, Pūrṇimā—each with a lamp, a restrained devotee, and a growing moon culminating in full radiance, symbolizing sin-removal.

Characters & Entities

• Ekādaśī
• Pūrṇimā
• Pañcaka (Bhīṣma-pañcaka context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kārtika’s pañcaka is framed as a concentrated purification window—structured time itself becomes a vehicle of grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The pañcaka is taught within the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya context, implying performance at the local tīrtha(s).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observe the five-day pañcaka beginning on Ekādaśī and culminating on Pūrṇimā (full moon), described as sin-destroying.