Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 159

Devanagari script

निष्कामः पूजयेद्यस्तु स मोक्षं याति वै ध्रुवम् । अस्य क्षेत्रस्य माहात्म्यादर्कसूर्यप्रभावतः

Transliteration

niṣkāmaḥ pūjayedyastu sa mokṣaṃ yāti vai dhruvam | asya kṣetrasya māhātmyādarkasūryaprabhāvataḥ

Translation

എന്നാൽ നിഷ്കാമനായി പൂജിക്കുന്നവൻ നിശ്ചയമായി മോക്ഷം പ്രാപിക്കും; ഈ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിന്റെ മഹാത്മ്യവും അർക്ക-സൂര്യന്റെ പ്രഭാവവും അതിന് കാരണമാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• निष्कामः: desireless
• निष्कामः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—निष् (उपसर्ग/निषेध) + काम (प्रातिपदिक) = निष्काम (अकामः)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकः (relative pronoun)

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

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अन्वयः—यः… सः…

• मोक्षम्: liberation
• मोक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• याति: goes/attains
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha/Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbial accusative)

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• क्षेत्रस्य: of the sacred place/field
• क्षेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• माहात्म्यात्: due to the greatness
• माहात्म्यात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

• अर्कसूर्यप्रभावतः: because of the power of Arka (Sun)
• अर्कसूर्यप्रभावतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क + सूर्य + प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; समासः—अर्कसूर्ययोः प्रभावः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) ; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from kṣetra-māhātmya phala-śruti tone)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Arka-prabhāva emphasized)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unspecified inquirer

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A calm ascetic-devotee worships Sūrya at Prabhāsa with empty hands and serene gaze; behind, the kṣetra glows subtly, suggesting mokṣa as a luminous dissolution of ego.

Characters & Entities

• Arka
• Sūrya
• Mokṣa
• Prabhāsa
• Arkasthala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desireless worship (niṣkāma-bhakti) is elevated above goal-seeking devotion, culminating in mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, with explicit emphasis on Arkasthala/Arka-Sūrya’s sanctifying power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship of Sūrya performed without personal desire is recommended as the highest approach.