Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

रजतं क्षिप्यते तत्र सुवर्ण मिव जायते । प्रत्यक्षमेव तत्रैव रसायनमनुत्तमम्

Transliteration

rajataṃ kṣipyate tatra suvarṇa miva jāyate | pratyakṣameva tatraiva rasāyanamanuttamam

Translation

അവിടെ വെള്ളി എറിഞ്ഞാൽ അത് സ്വർണ്ണംപോലെ മാറുന്നു. അവിടെയേ തന്നെ പ്രത്യക്ഷമായി അനുത്തമ രസായനം (അലൗകിക എലിക്സിർ) നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു.

Word by Word

• रजतम्: silver
• रजतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रजत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• क्षिप्यते: is thrown/placed
• क्षिप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, Passive, 3rd person, Singular)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of place)

• सुवर्णम्: gold
• सुवर्णम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• इव: as if/like
• इव: Sambandha (Comparison marker/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-वाचक अव्यय (indeclinable particle of comparison)

• जायते: is produced/comes into being
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, Ātmanepada, 3rd person, Singular)

• प्रत्यक्षम्: directly, visibly
• प्रत्यक्षम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रत्यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् प्रयोग (Neuter, Nominative, Singular; used adverbially)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (indeclinable emphatic particle)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of place)

• एव: itself/indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• रसायनम्: elixir/alchemical preparation
• रसायनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रसायन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed, excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; रसायनम् इति विशेषणम् (Neuter, Nominative, Singular; adjective of rasāyanam)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim casts silver into a sacred basin/spot; before the eyes of all it gleams like gold—an ‘unsurpassed rasāyana’ shown as radiant transformation with divine light.

Characters & Entities

• Rasāyana
• Rasa (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Transformation is a hallmark of tīrtha-power: just as matter is transmuted, the devotee is inwardly refined by contact with sacred presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa-kṣetra kuṇḍa/rasāyana spot where transmutation is said to occur.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite; it reports a miraculous property (transmutation) as part of the site’s māhātmya.