Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

यथायथा गिरिवरे समारोहंति मानवाः । तथातथा विमुच्यंते पातकैः सर्वदेहिनः

Transliteration

yathāyathā girivare samārohaṃti mānavāḥ | tathātathā vimucyaṃte pātakaiḥ sarvadehinaḥ

Translation

À mesure que les hommes gravissent cette montagne excellente, de même tous les êtres incarnés se trouvent délivrés des péchés.

Word by Word

• यथायथा: as and as; in proportion as
• यथायथा: Sambandha (Correlation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्त-अव्यय (correlative: as...so; ‘in whatever manner/degree’)

• गिरिवरे: on the excellent mountain
• गिरिवरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गिरिवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (वरः गिरिः), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• समारोहन्ति: climb up; ascend
• समारोहन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + रुह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• मानवाः: people; humans
• मानवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तथातथा: so and so; accordingly
• तथातथा: Sambandha (Correlation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्त-अव्यय (correlative: so and so; accordingly/in the same proportion)

• विमुच्यन्ते: are freed; are released
• विमुच्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/मध्यवर्ती-भाव (are released)

• पातकैः: from sins
• पातकैः: Apadana (Source/Separation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन; अपादानार्थे/हेतौ (from sins)

• सर्वदेहिनः: all embodied beings
• सर्वदेहिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (सर्वे देहिनः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘विमुच्यन्ते’ इत्यस्य कर्ता

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-girivara (the purifying mountain ascent)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A winding path up a sacred mountain with pilgrims at different heights; as they ascend, dark smoky ‘sin’ motifs dissolve into light around them, suggesting progressive purification.

Characters & Entities

• the sacred mountain of Vastrāpathakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Effortful pilgrimage undertaken with faith becomes a means of pāpa-kṣaya (release from sin).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘best of mountains’ within Vastrāpathakṣetra, praised in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The act itself—ascending the sacred hill—is presented as a purifying observance.