Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

भद्रायाः पश्चिमात्पूर्वं यथानुक्रममादितः । श्रुतं पापोपशमनं कोटियज्ञफलप्रदम्

Transliteration

bhadrāyāḥ paścimātpūrvaṃ yathānukramamāditaḥ | śrutaṃ pāpopaśamanaṃ koṭiyajñaphalapradam

Translation

ഭദ്രാ നദിയുടെ പടിഞ്ഞാറ് ഭാഗത്ത് നിന്ന് ആരംഭിച്ച് ക്രമമായി കിഴക്കോട്ട് നീങ്ങുമ്പോൾ, പാപശമനകരവും കോടി യജ്ഞഫലപ്രദവും ആയ ആ മഹിമ നീ ശ്രവിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• भद्रायाः: of Bhadrā
• भद्रायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भद्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), एकवचन

• पश्चिमात्: from the west
• पश्चिमात्: Adhikaraṇa (Directional)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• पूर्वम्: eastward / to the east
• पूर्वम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb)

• यथा: as, according to
• यथा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (comparative/according-to particle)

• अनुक्रमम्: in sequence
• अनुक्रमम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनुक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावार्थे द्वितीया-एकवचन (adverbial accusative)

• आदितः: from the beginning
• आदितः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• श्रुतम्: has been heard
• श्रुतम्: Kriyā (Predicative: 'has been heard')
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रुत (प्रातिपदिक; √श्रु धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP)

• पापोपशमनम्: removal of sin
• पापोपशमनम्: Karma/Viśeṣya (Object/Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप + उपशमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—पापस्य उपशमनम् (cessation of sin)

• कोटियज्ञफलप्रदम्: bestowing the fruit of a crore of sacrifices
• कोटियज्ञफलप्रदम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of pāpopaśamanam/śrutam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि + यज्ञ + फल + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—कोटियज्ञस्य फलम् प्रददाति इति

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhadrā (as route-anchor within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like procession: a river labeled Bhadrā at left (west), an arrowed path moving east through shrines; Skanda’s narration visualized as a scroll unrolling from west to east.

Characters & Entities

• Bhadrā (river/site)
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as an ordered sacred journey—direction and sequence matter as part of dharmic practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Bhadrā river-region and the broader Prabhāsa Kṣetra route described from west to east.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A sequential pilgrimage movement (yathānukrama) across the kṣetra; no single rite is specified in this verse.