Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

पटस्थितं तस्य पापं चित्रो मार्जयति प्रिये । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन चित्रेशं पूजयेत्सदा । यः स्यात्पापयुतो वापि नरकं नैव पश्यति

Transliteration

paṭasthitaṃ tasya pāpaṃ citro mārjayati priye | tasmātsarvaprayatnena citreśaṃ pūjayetsadā | yaḥ syātpāpayuto vāpi narakaṃ naiva paśyati

Translation

ಹೇ ಪ್ರಿಯೆ, ಚಿತ್ರ (ದೇವ) ಅವನ ಪಾಪವನ್ನು ಬಟ್ಟೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಬರೆದ ಚಿತ್ರವನ್ನೇ ತೊಳೆದಂತೆ ತೊಳೆದುಹಾಕುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಸರ್ವಪ್ರಯತ್ನದಿಂದ ಸದಾ ಚಿತ್ರೇಶನನ್ನು ಪೂಜಿಸಬೇಕು. ಪಾಪಯುಕ್ತನಾದರೂ ಅವನು ನರಕವನ್ನು ನೋಡುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.

Word by Word

• paṭa-sthitam: situated on a cloth (depicted)
• paṭa-sthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + √sthā (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पटे स्थितम्) विशेषणम् (pāpam)

• tasya: his/of that
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• citraḥ: Citra (name/agent)
• citraḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; कर्तृपद

• mārjayati: cleanses/removes
• mārjayati: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √mṛj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• priye: O dear one
• priye: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Sambandha (Causal connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति सर्वनाम-निपातवत्; पञ्चमी-अर्थे (therefore/from that reason)

• sarva-prayatnena: with all effort
• sarva-prayatnena: Karana (Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वः प्रयत्नः) साधनार्थे

• citreśam: Citreśa
• citreśam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: citra-īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• pūjayet: should worship
• pūjayet: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• sadā: always
• sadā: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; नित्यत्वे (always)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• syāt: might be
• syāt: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• pāpa-yutaḥ: endowed with sin
• pāpa-yutaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + yuta (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (पापेन युतः) विशेषणम् (yaḥ)

• vā: or/even
• vā: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (or/even)

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (even/also)

• narakam: hell
• narakam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• eva: at all/indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphasis)

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Citreśa/Citreśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An allegorical scene: a devotee’s ‘sins’ appear as painted stains on a cloth that are effortlessly wiped away by the personified power ‘Citra’/Citreśa; alongside, the devotee performs steadfast worship at the liṅga, symbolizing continual practice.

Characters & Entities

• Citreśa/Citreśvara
• Citra
• Naraka (hell)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace at a tīrtha can remove even deep moral burdens; sustained worship is recommended as a path of purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Citreśvara (Citreśa) in Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular/continuous worship (sadā pūjayet) of Citreśvara with full effort.