Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 121

Devanagari script

अष्टादशेह कुष्ठानि ये चान्ये व्याधयो नृणाम् । प्रलयं यांति ते सर्वे मृदा यद्युपलेपयेत्

Transliteration

aṣṭādaśeha kuṣṭhāni ye cānye vyādhayo nṛṇām | pralayaṃ yāṃti te sarve mṛdā yadyupalepayet

Translation

ഇവിടെയുള്ള അഷ്ടാദശ കുഷ്ഠരോഗങ്ങളും മനുഷ്യർക്കുള്ള മറ്റു വ്യാധികളും, ഈ സ്ഥലത്തിന്റെ പവിത്ര മൃദ (മണ്ണ്) ലേപനം ചെയ്താൽ എല്ലാം നശിച്ചുപോകും।

Word by Word

• अष्टादश: eighteen
• अष्टादश: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टादश (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्गे (कुष्ठानि) विशेषणरूपेण, प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचनानुगुणम् (indeclinable-like numeral usage)

• इह: here
• इह: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/प्रकरणवाचक (adverb: 'here/in this context')

• कुष्ठानि: leprosy-diseases
• कुष्ठानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ये: which/that
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• अन्ये: other
• अन्ये: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying व्याधयः)

• व्याधयः: diseases
• व्याधयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• प्रलयम्: destruction, dissolution
• प्रलयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यान्ति: go/come to
• यान्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; निर्देशार्थक (demonstrative pronoun)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ते)

• मृदा: with clay/earth
• मृदा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Condition marker (शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक (conditional particle: 'if')

• उपलेपयेत्: should plaster/anoint
• उपलेपयेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + लिप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (mṛd of the kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at Prabhāsa gather sacred earth, applying it as a gentle smear on limbs; a healer-priest offers guidance; the sea and temple silhouettes frame the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Ravi (Sūrya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is not symbolic alone: Prabhāsa’s holy substance (earth) is praised as a concrete vehicle of purification and healing when used with faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsatīrtha region), celebrated in the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya of the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mṛdā-upalepa—smearing/applying the sacred earth (clay) of the kṣetra as a purificatory/healing observance.