Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

क्षीरस्नानं प्रकुर्वंति ये नराः कृष्ण मूर्धनि । शताश्वमेधजं पुण्यं बिंदुना बिंदुना स्मृतम्

Transliteration

kṣīrasnānaṃ prakurvaṃti ye narāḥ kṛṣṇa mūrdhani | śatāśvamedhajaṃ puṇyaṃ biṃdunā biṃdunā smṛtam

Translation

ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണന്റെ ശിരസ്സിൽ ക്ഷീരാഭിഷേകം ചെയ്യുന്നവർക്ക്, ഓരോ തുള്ളിയും നൂറ് അശ്വമേധയാഗജന്യമായ പുണ്യമായി സ്മൃതിയിൽ പ്രസ്തുതമാണ്।

Word by Word

• क्षीरस्नानम्: milk-bath (bathing with milk)
• क्षीरस्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षीर-स्नान (प्रातिपदिक; क्षीर + स्नान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रकुर्वन्ति: perform, do
• प्रकुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• नराः: men, people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कृष्ण: O Krishna
• कृष्ण: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• मूर्धनि: on the head
• मूर्धनि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्धन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• शताश्वमेधजम्: born of (equal to) a hundred Aśvamedha sacrifices
• शताश्वमेधजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण) of पुण्यम्
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत-अश्वमेध-ज (प्रातिपदिक; शत + अश्वमेध + ज)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुण्यम्: merit, holy reward
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म) (as ‘merit’ obtained)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• बिन्दुना: by a drop
• बिन्दुना: Karana (Instrument/करण) (distributive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• बिन्दुना: drop by drop
• बिन्दुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिन्दु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular) (पुनरुक्ति/distributive repetition)

• स्मृतम्: is said/remembered (as)
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa narrative voice addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (nṛpa) addressed in the chapter context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Temple sanctum in Dvārakā: devotees pour warm milk in a steady stream over Kṛṣṇa’s crowned head; droplets sparkle as if each becomes a sacrificial fire-offering; priests hold conch and bell; white milk contrasts with dark-blue icon.

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Abhiṣeka (snāna)
• Kṣīra (milk)
• Aśvamedha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional service (abhiṣeka) to Kṛṣṇa, especially in a sacred setting, is extolled as supremely meritorious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā by the ongoing Dvārakā-māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kṣīra-snāna/abhiṣeka—bathing Kṛṣṇa (the deity) with milk.