Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अथैतानि पपाचाशु सीता जनकनंदिनी । ततस्तु कुतपे काले स्नात्वा वल्कलभृच्छुचिः

Transliteration

athaitāni papācāśu sītā janakanaṃdinī | tatastu kutape kāle snātvā valkalabhṛcchuciḥ

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ജനകനന്ദിനിയായ സീത അവയെല്ലാം വേഗത്തിൽ പാകം ചെയ്തു. പിന്നെ കുതപകാലത്ത് സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത്, ശുചിയായി, വൽക്കലം ധരിച്ചു (ശ്രാദ്ധകർമ്മത്തിനായി) ഒരുങ്ങി।

Word by Word

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• etāni: these (things)
• etāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• papāca: cooked
• papāca: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• āśu: quickly
• āśu: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āśu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• sītā: Sītā
• sītā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sītā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• janakanandinī: Janaka’s daughter
• janakanandinī: Viśeṣaṇa (Appositional/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janaka + nandinī (प्रातिपदिक; जनक-नन्दिनी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (janakasya nandinī = daughter/delight of Janaka); सītāyāḥ विशेषण-रूपेण

• tatas: thereafter
• tatas: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तदर्थे (thereafter)

• tu: but / indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थक

• kutape: at the kutapa (auspicious midday period)
• kutape: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kutapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• kāle: at the time
• kāle: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriyā (Prior action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: snā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया (having bathed)

• valkalabhṛt: wearing bark garments
• valkalabhṛt: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: valkala + bhṛt (प्रातिपदिक; वल्कल-भृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (valkalaṃ bibhrat = wearing bark-garments); śuciḥ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• śuciḥ: pure
• śuciḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (sītāyāḥ)

Speaker

Īśvara (narrator-voice within the Purāṇic dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sītā swiftly cooks the gathered fruits; then, at kutapa-kāla, she bathes and stands purified in bark garments, readying the śrāddha setting with vessels and offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Sītā
• Janaka
• Kutapa-kāla
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha is not only offering but also discipline—purity, right timing, and reverent preparation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rite is being arranged at Puṣkara-tīrtha in Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Cooking offerings, bathing (snāna), maintaining śauca, and performing Śrāddha at kutapa-kāla.