Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

स्नानोपासनपानेन वज्रिणी गुरुतल्पगम् । नाशयत्यखिलं पुंसां पापं भूरिभयंकरम्

Transliteration

snānopāsanapānena vajriṇī gurutalpagam | nāśayatyakhilaṃ puṃsāṃ pāpaṃ bhūribhayaṃkaram

Translation

സ്നാനം, ഉപാസന, അവളുടെ ജലപാനം എന്നിവകൊണ്ട് വജ്രിണീ പുരുഷന്മാരുടെ ഗുരുതൽപഗമനജന്യമായ അതിഭയങ്കര പാപം പൂർണ്ണമായി നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• स्नान: bathing
• स्नान: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; (समासाङ्ग)

• उपासन: worship/attendance
• उपासन: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपासन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; (समासाङ्ग)

• पानेन: by drinking
• पानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; (स्नान-उपासन- पान- इति समाहार-द्वन्द्वस्य तृतीया)

• स्नानोपासनपानेन: by bathing, worship, and drinking
• स्नानोपासनपानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान + उपासन + पान (प्रातिपदिक); स्नानोपासनपान (समास)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्व; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• वज्रिणी: Vajriṇī (river)
• वज्रिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वज्रिणी (प्रातिपदिक; नदी-नाम)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• गुरुतल्पगम्: one who violates the teacher’s bed (a grave sinner)
• गुरुतल्पगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु + तल्प + ग (प्रातिपदिक); गुरुतल्पग (समास)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी/उपपद-समास): गुरोः तल्पं गच्छति इति; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• नाशयति: destroys
• नाशयति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अखिलम्: entire
• अखिलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; (पापम् इति विशेषण)

• पुंसाम्: of men/people
• पुंसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंस्/पुम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• भूरि: much/abundant
• भूरि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूरि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्राय (indeclinable adjective)

• भयंकरम्: terrifying
• भयंकरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भयंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; (पापम् इति विशेषण)

• भूरिभयंकरम्: very dreadful
• भूरिभयंकरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूरि + भयंकर (प्रातिपदिक); भूरिभयंकर (समास)
• Form: कर्मधारय; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (पापम् इति विशेषण)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vajriṇī

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A divine female interlocutor (addressed later as sura-sundarī) and/or sages in the narrative frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred river/kuṇḍa named Vajriṇī glows with tīrtha-tejas; pilgrims bathe, offer flowers and water, and sip a handful reverently; the atmosphere suggests fearsome sins dissolving like dark smoke in sunlight.

Characters & Entities

• Vajriṇī (river/tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic tīrtha-māhātmya teaches that even the gravest moral collapse demands repentance and can be met with powerful prāyaścitta through sacred waters and worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vajriṇī river/tīrtha within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing), upāsanā (worship), and pāna (drinking of sacred water).