Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

भक्त्या स्नात्वा तु तत्रैवं कुर्यात्कर्म यथोदितम् । देवान्पितॄन्मनुष्यांश्च तर्पयेद्भावसंयुतः

Transliteration

bhaktyā snātvā tu tatraivaṃ kuryātkarma yathoditam | devānpitṝnmanuṣyāṃśca tarpayedbhāvasaṃyutaḥ

Translation

അവിടെ ഭക്തിയോടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത്, വിധിപ്രകാരം കർമ്മങ്ങൾ ആചരിക്കണം; പിന്നെ ഹൃദയഭാവത്തോടെ ദേവന്മാർക്കും പിതൃകൾക്കും മനുഷ്യർക്കും തർപ്പണം അർപ്പിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3/instrumental), एकवचन

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; पूर्वक्रिया

• तु: then/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयबोधक-अव्ययम् (particle: but/indeed)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम् (locative adverb)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्ययम्

• कुर्यात्: should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• कर्म: rite/action
• कर्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/accusative), एकवचन

• यथा: as
• यथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्ययम् (according to)

• उदितम्: prescribed/said
• उदितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद्+इ (धातु) → उदित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/accusative), एकवचन; कर्म इति विशेषणम्

• देवान्: the gods
• देवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/accusative), बहुवचन

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/accusative), बहुवचन; पितृ-शब्दः (ऋकारान्त)

• मनुष्यांश्: humans
• मनुष्यांश्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/accusative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्ययम्

• तर्पयेत्: should satisfy (with offerings)
• तर्पयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तृप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; causative-भावः (तर्पयति)

• भावसंयुतः: endowed with proper feeling
• भावसंयुतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भाव+संयुत (प्रातिपदिक; युज् धातु → युत/संयुत कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: भावेन संयुतः; कर्तृपद-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced: Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa tīrtha-māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomatī (Dvārakā)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee, freshly bathed, stands at the river edge offering cupped-water libations in sequence—toward the sky (devas), southward (pitṛs), and toward the assembly (humans)—with calm concentration.

Characters & Entities

• Gomatī (river)
• Devas
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion (bhakti) and correct performance of prescribed rites make tīrtha-practice fruitful, especially when done with sincere inner feeling (bhāva).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gomatī tīrtha in the Dvārakā region, within the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa’s Dvārakā Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-snān (sacred bath) followed by tarpana—water-libations to Devas, Pitṛs, and others—performed as per injunction.