Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

कलौ युगे तु संप्राप्ते दुर्ल्लभं तत्र दर्शनम् । किं पुनः स्नानदानं तु प्रभासे जाह्नवीजले

Transliteration

kalau yuge tu saṃprāpte durllabhaṃ tatra darśanam | kiṃ punaḥ snānadānaṃ tu prabhāse jāhnavījale

Translation

കലിയുഗം വന്നാൽ അവിടെ ദർശനം പോലും ദുർലഭം; അപ്പോൾ പ്രഭാസത്തിൽ ജാഹ്നവീ ജലത്തിൽ സ്നാനവും ദാനവും എത്രയോ ദുർലഭം!

Word by Word

• कलौ: in Kali (age)
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• युगे: in the yuga
• युगे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: indeed, but
• तु: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• संप्राप्ते: when (it) has arrived
• संप्राप्ते: Adhikarana (Circumstance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-प्र-आप् (धातु) → संप्राप्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सति-सप्तमी (locative absolute)

• दुर्लभम्: rare, hard to obtain
• दुर्लभम्: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• दर्शनम्: seeing, दर्शन
• दर्शनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• किम्: what then? how much more?
• किम्: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative used adverbially)

• पुनः: again, further; moreover
• पुनः: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति/अधिक्यार्थक (adverb: again/further)

• स्नानदानम्: bathing and giving (charity)
• स्नानदानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार-द्वन्द्व (स्नानं च दानं च)

• तु: indeed
• तु: None
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• प्रभासे: at Prabhāsa
• प्रभासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक

• जाह्नवीजले: in the waters of the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)
• जाह्नवीजले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाह्नवी (प्रातिपदिक) + जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जाह्नव्याः जलम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-Jāhnavī tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim caravan approaches Prabhāsa; the narrator’s voice underscores rarity in Kali-yuga. The scene contrasts crowded worldly life with a narrow, precious window of darśana at the sacred waters.

Characters & Entities

• Kali Yuga
• Prabhāsa
• Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kali Yuga, access to sanctity is rare; therefore, pilgrimage acts like darśana, snāna, and dāna become especially precious.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra—specifically Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā) waters present there.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) and dāna (charity) at Prabhāsa in Jāhnavī waters.