Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मादीनि च सर्वाणि प्रवर्तंतामहर्निशम् । दीनांधकृपणादीनां क्रियतामार्तिनाशनम्

Transliteration

brahmādīni ca sarvāṇi pravartaṃtāmaharniśam | dīnāṃdhakṛpaṇādīnāṃ kriyatāmārtināśanam

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മാദിയായ എല്ലാ കർമ്മങ്ങളും പകലും രാത്രിയും തുടർന്നുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കട്ടെ; ദീനർ, അന്ധർ, ദരിദ്രർ മുതലായവരുടെ ആർതി കരുണാപൂർണ്ണ പ്രവർത്തനങ്ങളാൽ നശിപ്പിക്കപ്പെടട്ടെ।

Word by Word

• ब्रह्म-आदीनि: Brahma and the rest (rites/acts)
• ब्रह्म-आदीनि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्म आदिः येषाम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• प्रवर्तन्ताम्: let (them) proceed/continue
• प्रवर्तन्ताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• अहः-निशम्: day and night
• अहः-निशम्: Sambandha (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहः (प्रातिपदिक) + निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (adverbial: day and night)

• दीन-अन्ध-कृपण-आदीनाम्: of the poor, the blind, the destitute, etc.
• दीन-अन्ध-कृपण-आदीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीन (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + कृपण (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (दीनाः अन्धाः कृपणाः आदयः येषाम्)

• क्रियताम्: let it be done
• क्रियताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद

• आर्ति-नाशनम्: removal of suffering
• आर्ति-नाशनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आर्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आर्तेः नाशनम्)

Speaker

Soma (the Moon-god), addressing the dvijas/ritual leaders at Prabhāsa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two parallel vignettes: (1) a hall of Vedic recitation and worship continuing day and night with lamps; (2) compassionate townspeople offering food, guiding the blind, and comforting the poor—affliction dissolving in the sacred town.

Characters & Entities

• Soma
• brahma (Veda)
• dīna
• ārti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True kṣetra-dharma combines uninterrupted sacred practice with active compassion that alleviates suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where religious continuity and public welfare are portrayed as part of the tīrtha’s order.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Maintain ongoing brahma-ādi duties (Vedic rites, recitation, worship) and institute acts that remove the distress of the needy.