Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

स्मृत्युक्तं ते करिष्यामि प्रायश्चित्तं यथाविधि । उक्तमस्त्येव मनुना प्रायश्चित्तादिकं क्रमात्

Transliteration

smṛtyuktaṃ te kariṣyāmi prāyaścittaṃ yathāvidhi | uktamastyeva manunā prāyaścittādikaṃ kramāt

Translation

സ്മൃതികളിൽ ഉപദേശിച്ച പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം ഞാൻ വിധിപൂർവ്വം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കും. മനുവും പ്രായശ്ചിത്താദി ക്രമം യഥാക്രമം നിർദ്ദേശിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ട്.

Word by Word

• स्मृत्युक्तम्: prescribed in the Smṛti
• स्मृत्युक्तम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मृति + उक्त (प्रातिपदिक; √वच् (धातु) → उक्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying प्रायश्चित्तम्)

• ते: for you; to you
• ते: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उभयलिङ्ग (pronoun), चतुर्थीविभक्ति (4th/Dative), एकवचन; enclitic form

• करिष्यामि: I will do
• करिष्यामि: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रायश्चित्तम्: expiation, penance
• प्रायश्चित्तम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• यथा: according as
• यथा: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: ‘as/according to’)

• विधि: rule, prescribed method
• विधि: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोग (yathā + acc. = ‘according to rule’)

• उक्तम्: has been said
• उक्तम्: Kriyā (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु) → उक्त (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकालिक-कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; predicate with implicit ‘(idam)’

• अस्ति: is; exists
• अस्ति: Kriyā (Existential/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• एव: indeed, certainly
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• मनुना: by Manu
• मनुना: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• प्रायश्चित्तादिकम्: expiation and related (matters)
• प्रायश्चित्तादिकम्: Karman (Object/content)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘etc.’-sense

• क्रमात्: in sequence; step by step
• क्रमात्: Sambandha (Manner/sequence)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमीविभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोग = ‘in order/stepwise’

Speaker

Balarāma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A penitent pilgrim in Prabhāsa resolves before elders to perform Smṛti-prescribed expiation; palm-leaf manuscripts of Manu-smṛti are present; the sea-breeze and distant temple spire suggest the sacred field’s authority.

Characters & Entities

• Balarāma
• Manu
• Smṛti
• Prāyaścitta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma provides structured restoration: confession leads to prescribed expiation, re-establishing purity and right order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, presented as a sacred context where repentance and dharmaśāstric prāyaścitta are undertaken.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prāyaścitta performed ‘yathāvidhi’ (according to rule), as taught by Smṛti and systematized by Manu.