Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 75

Devanagari script

गृहान्धकूपे पतितं माया पाशशतैर्वृतम् । मामुद्धर महीनाथ गृहाणार्घ्यं नमोऽस्तु ते

Transliteration

gṛhāndhakūpe patitaṃ māyā pāśaśatairvṛtam | māmuddhara mahīnātha gṛhāṇārghyaṃ namo'stu te

Translation

സംസാരമെന്ന അന്ധകൂപത്തിൽ വീണു, മായയുടെ നൂറുകണക്കിന് പാശങ്ങളാൽ ബന്ധിതനായ ഞാൻ. ഹേ മഹീനാഥാ, എന്നെ ഉയർത്തേണമേ; ഈ അർഘ്യം സ്വീകരിക്കണമേ—നമസ്കാരം.

Word by Word

• गृहान्धकूपे: in the dark well of household life
• गृहान्धकूपे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह-अन्ध-कूप (प्रातिपदिक; गृह + अन्ध + कूप)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः (तत्पुरुष; 'house-like dark well' / 'well of household-darkness')

• पतितम्: fallen
• पतितम्: Karmaviśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of mām)

• माया: illusion (māyā)
• माया: Karta (Agent; personified)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पाशशतैः: with hundreds of bonds
• पाशशतैः: Karaṇa (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाश-शत (प्रातिपदिक; पाश + शत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('hundreds of nooses/bonds')

• वृतम्: enveloped, surrounded
• वृतम्: Karmaviśeṣaṇa (Object qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of mām)

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उद्धर: lift out, rescue
• उद्धर: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद्+हृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• महीनाथ: O Lord of the earth
• महीनाथ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही-नाथ (प्रातिपदिक; मही + नाथ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('lord of the earth')

• गृहाण: accept, take
• गृहाण: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), आत्मनेपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अर्घ्यम्: arghya offering
• अर्घ्यम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्घ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Sambandha (Salutation particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: निपातवत् प्रयोगः; नमः-शब्दः (salutation)

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradāna (Recipient)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative), एकवचन

Speaker

Śrī Kṛṣṇa (as the prescribed arghya-prayer to be recited by the worshipper)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Māyā-saras (implied in the surrounding verses)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim/ṛṣi audience (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands at a sacred water’s edge, hands cupped with arghya, pleading to the Lord to lift him from the dark well of worldly bondage; subtle imagery of nooses (pāśa) dissolving in divine light.

Characters & Entities

• Mahīnātha (Lord)
• Māyā
• Arghya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human bondage is framed as māyā’s entanglement, and liberation begins with surrender and reverential offering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The arghya is offered at Mayatīrtha/Mayasya-saras in Dvārakā as part of the chapter’s rite.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Recite a supplicatory mantra while offering arghya, asking the Lord to rescue the devotee from māyā’s bonds.