Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

यस्माच्छशेन संयुक्तं पीतमेतज्जलाशयम् । चंद्रेण हि शशापानं तस्मादेतद्भविष्यति

Transliteration

yasmācchaśena saṃyuktaṃ pītametajjalāśayam | caṃdreṇa hi śaśāpānaṃ tasmādetadbhaviṣyati

Translation

ഈ ജലാശയം ‘ശശ’യോടൊപ്പം ചേർന്ന് പാനം ചെയ്യപ്പെട്ടു; ശശചിഹ്നധാരിയായ ചന്ദ്രനും ഇതു പാനം ചെയ്തു. അതിനാൽ ഇതിന് ‘ശശാപാനം’ എന്ന നാമം വരും.

Word by Word

• यस्मात्: from which/wherefrom
• यस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular) — सर्वनाम

• शशेन: with/by the hare (śaśa)
• शशेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• संयुक्तम्: joined/connected
• संयुक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+युज् (धातु) → संयुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying)

• पीतम्: drunk/imbibed
• पीतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पा (धातु) → पीत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — सर्वनाम; विशेषण

• जलाशयम्: reservoir/pond
• जलाशयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + आशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जलस्य आशयः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• चन्द्रेण: by the Moon
• चन्द्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ

• शशापानम्: drinking of the hare (hare-drink)
• शशापानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शश + पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शशस्य पानम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/Reason/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — सर्वनाम

• एतत्: this (thing)
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन — सर्वनाम

• भविष्यति: will be/shall become
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Devas (collectively), giving the tīrtha’s etymology/name

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaśāpāna

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The group proclaims the name ‘Śaśāpāna’; above the reservoir, the Moon with the hare-mark is shown as a celestial witness, its light touching the water.

Characters & Entities

• Candra (Moon)
• Śaśa (Hare-mark)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places often carry revelatory names whose etymology preserves divine memory and sanctifies the geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaśāpāna tīrtha (a sacred reservoir) in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it explains the tīrtha’s naming based on a divine act of drinking.