Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

यंयं काममभिध्यायंस्तत्र स्नाति नरो नृप । अवश्यं तमवाप्नोति निष्ठांते च परां गतिम्

Transliteration

yaṃyaṃ kāmamabhidhyāyaṃstatra snāti naro nṛpa | avaśyaṃ tamavāpnoti niṣṭhāṃte ca parāṃ gatim

Translation

ഹേ രാജാവേ, മനുഷ്യൻ ഏത് ഏത് ആഗ്രഹം മനസ്സിൽ ധ്യാനിച്ച് അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുമോ, അവൻ തീർച്ചയായും അതേ ആഗ്രഹം നേടും; ജീവിതാന്ത്യത്തിൽ പരമഗതിയും പ്രാപിക്കും.

Word by Word

• yam: whatever/which
• yam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; कर्म (object)

• yam: each
• yam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (distributive: each)

• kāmam: desire
• kāmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (object of abhidhyāyaṃs)

• abhidhyāyan: meditating upon
• abhidhyāyan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: abhi-dhyai (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृ-विशेषण

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• snāti: bathes
• snāti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

• nṛpa: O king
• nṛpa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• avaśyam: surely
• avaśyam: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: avaśyam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of certainty)

• tam: that
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• avāpnoti: attains
• avāpnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• niṣṭhām: fulfilment/steadfast end
• niṣṭhām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṣṭhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (object/apposition)

• ante: at the end
• ante: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (time: at the end)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• parām: supreme
• parām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (of gatim)

• gatim: destination
• gatim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

Speaker

Pulastya (deduced from surrounding Arbuda Khaṇḍa dialogue style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Siddheśvara-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands at the kuṇḍa’s edge with closed eyes forming a saṅkalpa, then enters the clear water; above, a subtle celestial path indicates ‘parā gati’.

Characters & Entities

• Siddheśvara
• tīrtha (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred bathing undertaken with focused intention yields both worldly fulfillment and, ultimately, the highest spiritual end.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha connected with Siddheśvara within the Arbuda Khaṇḍa of the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) at the praised site, performed while mentally contemplating one’s aim.