Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

चान्द्रायणानि कृच्छ्राणि महासां तपनानि च । प्रायश्चित्तानि दीयन्ते यत्र नास्ति सरस्वती

Transliteration

cāndrāyaṇāni kṛcchrāṇi mahāsāṃ tapanāni ca | prāyaścittāni dīyante yatra nāsti sarasvatī

Translation

സരസ്വതി ഇല്ലാത്തിടത്ത് ചാന്ദ്രായണവ്രതം, കൃച്ഛ്രതപസ്, മഹാസാന്തപനം മുതലായ പ്രായശ്ചിത്തങ്ങൾ അനുഷ്ഠിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• cāndrāyaṇāni: Cāndrāyaṇa vows/penances
• cāndrāyaṇāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāndrāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kṛcchrāṇi: Kṛcchra penances
• kṛcchrāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛcchra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• mahāsām: of the Mahāsā (penances)
• mahāsām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahāsā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• tapanāni: austerities/penances
• tapanāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunctive/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• prāyaścittāni: expiations/atonements
• prāyaścittāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāyaścitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• dīyante: are given/are prescribed
• dīyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धा-धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• asti: exists/is
• asti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस्-धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• sarasvatī: Sarasvatī (river/goddess)
• sarasvatī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sārasvata-tīrtha / Sarasvatī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic contrast: on one side ascetics performing harsh vows (measured grains for Cāndrāyaṇa, austere postures for Kṛcchra); on the other, pilgrims bathing in Sarasvatī with calm faces, suggesting grace-based purification.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatī
• Cāndrāyaṇa
• Kṛcchra
• Prāyaścitta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sarasvatī-tīrtha is portrayed as intrinsically purifying, reducing the need for harsh expiatory disciplines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sarasvatī presence at Prabhāsa—implicitly the Sārasvata Tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Cāndrāyaṇa and Kṛcchra are cited as common expiations elsewhere; the verse contrasts them with Sarasvatī’s purifying power.