Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

स्नात्वा तु पुष्करे तीर्थे दृष्ट्वा विष्णुपदं ततः । अपि कृत्वा महत्पापं किमतः परितप्यते

Transliteration

snātvā tu puṣkare tīrthe dṛṣṭvā viṣṇupadaṃ tataḥ | api kṛtvā mahatpāpaṃ kimataḥ paritapyate

Translation

പുഷ്കര തീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് പിന്നെ വിഷ്ണുപദം ദർശിച്ചാൽ, മഹാപാപം ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ടെങ്കിലും—അതിനുശേഷം എന്തിന് വ്യസനിക്കണം?

Word by Word

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), धातु: स्ना, अर्थे: स्नानं कृत्वा

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), विरोध/अन्वयार्थे

• पुष्करे: in Puṣkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (स्थान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (स्थान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), धातु: दृश्, अर्थे: दर्शनं कृत्वा

• विष्णुपदम्: Viṣṇu’s footprint/abode
• विष्णुपदम्: Karma (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विष्णोः पदम्)

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (sequence marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), क्रम/अपादानार्थे ‘तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम्’

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), अपि = even/also

• कृत्वा: having committed/done
• कृत्वा: Kriya (पूर्वकर्म/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), धातु: कृ, अर्थे: कृत्वा = having done

• महत्पापम्: a great sin
• महत्पापम्: Karma (object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महत् पापम् = great sin)

• किम्: why/what
• किम्: Prashna (interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक सर्वनाम

• अतः: therefore/from this
• अतः: Hetu (reason marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), हेत्वर्थे/तस्मात् = therefore/from this

• परितप्यते: is tormented/repents
• परितप्यते: Kriya (predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; उपसर्ग: परि-; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोग (is tormented/repents)

Speaker

Vasiṣṭha (the gāthā begins; deduced from previous verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara-tīrtha (Prabhāsa) + Viṣṇupada

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The same attentive listener addressed in v.114.9

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A remorseful pilgrim bathes in a calm tīrtha named Puṣkara, then walks toward a footprint shrine of Viṣṇu; the face shifts from sorrow to serenity as darśana occurs; priests sprinkle water and offer tulasī.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara
• Viṣṇupada
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faithful pilgrimage—bath at Puṣkara and darśana of Viṣṇupada—restores hope and purification even for grave wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara tīrtha and the associated Viṣṇupada (Viṣṇu’s footprint) shrine/mark.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at Puṣkara tīrtha and darśana of Viṣṇupada.