Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

मासेन पूर्वजातिं च जन्मातीतं च वेत्स्यति । एकरात्रात्तनुं शुद्धां द्वाभ्यां तारयते पितॄन् । त्रिरात्रेण व्यतीतेन त्वपरान्सप्त तारयेत्

Transliteration

māsena pūrvajātiṃ ca janmātītaṃ ca vetsyati | ekarātrāttanuṃ śuddhāṃ dvābhyāṃ tārayate pitṝn | trirātreṇa vyatītena tvaparānsapta tārayet

Translation

ഒരു മാസത്തിനകം അവൻ തന്റെ മുൻജന്മവും ജന്മാതീതമായ തത്ത്വവും അറിയും. ഒരു രാത്രിയിൽ ദേഹം ശുദ്ധമാകും; രണ്ടു രാത്രികളിൽ പിതൃകളെ ഉദ്ധരിക്കും; മൂന്നു രാത്രികൾ കഴിഞ്ഞാൽ മറ്റൊരു ഏഴ് പൂർവ്വികരെയും തരിപ്പിക്കും।

Word by Word

• मासेन: in/within a month
• मासेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• पूर्वजातिम्: former birth
• पूर्वजातिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व-जति (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: पूर्व + जाति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (previous birth/state)

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

• जन्मातीतम्: that which is beyond birth (past births/what transcends birth)
• जन्मातीतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन्म-अतीत (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: जन्मन् + अतीत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (janmanaḥ atītam = beyond birth)

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

• वेत्स्यति: will know
• वेत्स्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (simple future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• एकरात्रात्: from/after one night
• एकरात्रात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक-रात्र (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: एक + रात्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः

• तनुम्: body
• तनुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• शुद्धाम्: pure
• शुद्धाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (tanum)

• द्वाभ्याम्: by two (nights)
• द्वाभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (संख्याशब्द-प्रयोगः), तृतीया-विभक्ति, द्विवचन (by two [nights])

• तारयते: saves/carries across
• तारयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद (causative sense not marked; ‘causes to cross/saves’)

• पितॄन्: the ancestors
• पितॄन्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• त्रिरात्रेण: by three nights
• त्रिरात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि-रात्र (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: त्रि + रात्र)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः

• व्यतीतेन: having elapsed
• व्यतीतेन: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-अत्-इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (trirātreṇa) ‘when (it is) elapsed’

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

• अपरान्: other/additional
• अपरान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (sapta)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; द्वितीया-बहुवचनार्थे (seven [persons])

• तारयेत्: would save/carry across
• तारयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Śiva (Deva/Deveśa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jaigīṣavya-guhā (within Prabhāsa)

Type: cave

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin in cave-retreat experiences visions of past lives; a purified luminous body; subtle ancestral figures rising upward after two and three nights, represented as seven forebears ascending in light.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Jaigīṣavya-guhā
• Yoga
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Intense, time-bound discipline at a sacred site yields purification, insight into rebirth, and merit transferable to ancestors.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa sacred region, especially the Jaigīṣavya-guhā context of yogic practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Austerity/yogic observance measured by nights and a month, with stated fruits including bodily purification and pitṛ-deliverance.