Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

त्रिकालं कुरुते स्नानं गायत्रीजपमुत्तमम् । तेनासौ गतपापोऽभूद्दिव्यदर्शी च भूमिप

Transliteration

trikālaṃ kurute snānaṃ gāyatrījapamuttamam | tenāsau gatapāpo'bhūddivyadarśī ca bhūmipa

Translation

ഹേ ഭൂപാ! അവൻ ത്രികാലം സ്നാനം ചെയ്തു, ഉത്തമമായ ഗായത്രി-ജപം നടത്തി; അതിനാൽ പാപമുക്തനായി ദിവ്യദർശനം ലഭിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• त्रिकालम्: three times a day
• त्रिकालम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial object/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि-काल (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + काल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रयः कालाः)

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• गायत्रीजपम्: recitation of the Gāyatrī
• गायत्रीजपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री-जप (प्रातिपदिक; गायत्री + जप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गायत्र्याः जपः)

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Karma (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with जपम्)

• तेन: by that (practice)
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• असौ: that man/he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; दूरवाचक सर्वनाम

• गतपापः: freed from sin
• गतपापः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत-पाप (प्रातिपदिक; गत + पाप)
• Form: कृदन्त-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (गतं पापं यस्य/गतं पापम्) = 'sin gone'

• अभूत्: became
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• दिव्यदर्शी: one with divine vision
• दिव्यदर्शी: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य-दर्शिन् (प्रातिपदिक; दिव्य + दर्शिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दिव्यं पश्यति इति)

• च: and
• च: Discourse connector (Samucchaya/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) = conjunction 'and'

• भूमिप: O king
• भूमिप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमिप (प्रातिपदिक; भूमिपति-सम्बोधनरूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; 'O king'

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking in Purāṇic narration (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda-nirjhara (tapas-snānīya tīrtha)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: bhūmipa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ascetic at a clear mountain stream performs tri-kāla bathing; seated on a rock, he recites Gāyatrī with a japa-mālā, aura subtly brightening to indicate divine sight.

Characters & Entities

• Gāyatrī
• Arbuda

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular discipline—purifying bath and mantra-japa—burns sin and refines perception into divya-darśana (spiritual vision).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The practice occurs on Arbuda at a sacred stream, within the Piṇḍāraka-related narrative of Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Trikāla snāna (bathing thrice daily) and Gāyatrī-mantra japa.