Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

यस्याः सीमां प्रविष्टस्य ब्रह्महत्यादिपातकम् । नश्यते दर्शनादेव तां पुरीं को न सेवते

Transliteration

yasyāḥ sīmāṃ praviṣṭasya brahmahatyādipātakam | naśyate darśanādeva tāṃ purīṃ ko na sevate

Translation

ആ നഗരത്തിന്റെ അതിരിൽ പ്രവേശിക്കുന്നവന്റെ ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യാദി പാപങ്ങൾ വെറും ദർശനമാത്രത്തിൽ തന്നെ നശിക്കുന്നു; അത്തരം പുരിയെ ആരാണ് സേവിക്കാതിരിക്കുക?

Word by Word

• यस्याः: of which (city)
• यस्याः: Sambandha (genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचन (Feminine, Genitive, Singular)

• सीमाम्: boundary/limit
• सीमाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म) of ‘praviṣṭasya’ (entering)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सीमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

• प्रविष्टस्य: of one who has entered
• प्रविष्टस्य: Sambandha (genitive absolute-like: ‘of one who has entered’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + विश् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचन (Past participle, Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• ब्रह्महत्या: Brahmin-slaying (sin)
• ब्रह्महत्या: Samāsa-pūrvapada (compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular) (समासाङ्ग)

• आदि: etc., beginning with
• आदि: Samāsa-member
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासे ‘आदि’ = ‘and others’ (indeclinable used in compound)

• पातकम्: sin
• पातकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) of ‘naśyate’
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• ब्रह्महत्या-आदि-पातकम्: sins like brahmahatyā, etc.
• ब्रह्महत्या-आदि-पातकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या + आदि + पातक (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular); ‘sins such as brahmahatyā’

• नश्यते: perishes/is destroyed
• नश्यते: Kriyā (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Present, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada)

• दर्शनात्: from seeing
• दर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-एकवचन (Neuter, Ablative, Singular)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• दर्शनात्-एव: merely by seeing
• दर्शनात्-एव: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दर्शन + एव (पदसमूह)
• Form: पञ्चमी-सम्बद्ध-अव्ययप्रयोग (ablative phrase with emphatic particle)

• ताम्: that (city)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म) of ‘sevate’
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

• पुरीम्: city
• पुरीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म) of ‘sevate’
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular)

• को: who
• को: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• सेवते: serves/attends/resorts to
• सेवते: Kriyā (main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (Present, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim crossing an arch/marker signifying Dvārakā’s boundary; dark ‘sin’ imagery dissolves into light as the city’s temples and sea appear—darśana as immediate purification.

Characters & Entities

• Dwārakā (implied)
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are portrayed as dharma-fields where even proximity and darśana catalyze purification and moral renewal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dwārakā (the city whose very boundary and sight are said to destroy grave sins).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-darśana and entering the sacred boundary (sīmā-praveśa) are presented as spiritually efficacious acts.