Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

उपरागे न कुर्याद्यः पंके गौरिव सीदति । कुर्वाणस्तु तरेत्पापं सा च नौरिव सागरे

Transliteration

uparāge na kuryādyaḥ paṃke gauriva sīdati | kurvāṇastu taretpāpaṃ sā ca nauriva sāgare

Translation

ഗ്രഹണസമയത്ത് വിധികർമ്മം ചെയ്യാത്തവൻ ചെളിയിൽ പശുവുപോലെ മുങ്ങിപ്പോകുന്നു. എന്നാൽ ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ പാപം കടന്നുപോകുന്നു—സമുദ്രത്തിൽ നൗക പോലെ മറുകര എത്തിക്കുന്നതു പോലെ.

Word by Word

• uparāge: at the eclipse
• uparāge: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uparāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (loc. sg.)

• na: not
• na: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध particle)

• kuryāt: should do
• kuryāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg. opt.)

• yaḥ: who (he who)
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (relative pronoun; masc. nom. sg.)

• paṃke: in mud
• paṃke: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṅka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (loc. sg.)

• gaur: a cow
• gaur: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nom. sg.; irregular form ‘gaur’)

• iva: like
• iva: Upamana-marker (Simile/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमा-वाचक particle)

• sīdati: sinks, gets stuck
• sīdati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sad (सद् धातु; ‘सीदति’)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg. pres.)

• kurvāṇaḥ: doing (it), performing
• kurvāṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु) ; शानच्-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त, आत्मनेपदी)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कृदन्त (शानच्), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि (pres. middle participle, masc. nom. sg.)

• tu: but
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/अन्वय particle)

• taret: should cross over, should overcome
• taret: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tṝ (तॄ धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg. opt.)

• pāpam: sin, evil
• pāpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• sā: that (person) / she
• sā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (demonstrative pronoun; fem. nom. sg.)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय-bodhaka conjunction)

• nauḥ: a boat
• nauḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nau (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (nom. sg.; form ‘nauḥ’)

• iva: like
• iva: Upamana-marker (Simile/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमा-वाचक particle)

• sāgare: in the ocean
• sāgare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (loc. sg.)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Split-scene allegory: on one side a cow stuck in muddy mire under a darkened sky; on the other, a devotee in a small boat crossing a vast ocean labeled ‘pāpa’, holding ritual items, with the eclipsed orb above.

Characters & Entities

• Uparāga (eclipse)
• Pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Timely dharma at sacred times prevents spiritual decline and becomes a means to transcend sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where eclipse-time observances are praised for their exceptional efficacy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the prescribed observance during an eclipse; neglect is condemned, performance is said to ferry one beyond pāpa.