Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

नोत्तानशायी भवति मातुरंके नरेश्वर । गुणान्पठति कृष्णस्य यः काले स्नानकर्मणः

Transliteration

nottānaśāyī bhavati māturaṃke nareśvara | guṇānpaṭhati kṛṣṇasya yaḥ kāle snānakarmaṇaḥ

Translation

ഹേ നരേശ്വരാ! സ്നാനകർമ്മ സമയത്ത് കൃഷ്ണന്റെ ഗുണങ്ങൾ പാരായണം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ വീണ്ടും അമ്മയുടെ മടിയിൽ അശക്ത ശിശുവായി കിടക്കുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation)

• उत्तान-शायी: lying on the back (supine)
• उत्तान-शायी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तान (प्रातिपदिक) + शायिन्/शायी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय समास; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• भवति: becomes/is
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Present, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• मातुः: of the mother
• मातुः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Genitive, Singular)

• अङ्के: in the lap
• अङ्के: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अङ्क (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• नर-ईश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• नर-ईश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नराणाम् ईश्वरः); पुल्लिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Vocative, Singular)

• गुणान्: qualities
• गुणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• पठति: recites/reads
• पठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Present, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• कृष्णस्य: of Krishna
• कृष्णस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• काले: at the time
• काले: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• स्नान-कर्मणः: of the bathing rite
• स्नान-कर्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/कर्मधारयार्थ (स्नानस्य कर्म); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Genitive, Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (addressing a king; likely Sūta in Purāṇic frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nara-īśvara (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee at the bathing rite recites Kṛṣṇa’s virtues with folded hands; the scene subtly contrasts infant-birth imagery (mother’s lap) fading away, symbolizing cessation of rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Guṇa (divine qualities)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembering and reciting the Lord’s virtues is portrayed as a direct antidote to repeated birth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā, where Kṛṣṇa’s worship is linked to release from saṁsāra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reciting (reading aloud) Kṛṣṇa’s guṇas during the bathing rite (snāna-karman).