Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

क्षेत्रं पीठं गर्भगृहं प्रभासस्य प्रकीर्त्यते । यथाक्रमं फलं तस्य कोटिकोटिगुणं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

kṣetraṃ pīṭhaṃ garbhagṛhaṃ prabhāsasya prakīrtyate | yathākramaṃ phalaṃ tasya koṭikoṭiguṇaṃ smṛtam

Translation

പ്രഭാസം ‘ക്ഷേത്രം’, ‘പീഠം’, ‘ഗർഭഗൃഹം’ എന്നിങ്ങനെ പ്രസിദ്ധമാണ്. ആ ക്രമത്തിൽ അതിന്റെ ഫലം കോടി-കോടിയായി വർധിക്കുന്നു എന്ന് സ്മൃതിയിൽ പറയുന്നു.

Word by Word

• क्षेत्रम्: field; sacred area
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; nominative/accusative singular (neuter)

• पीठम्: seat; pedestal; pīṭha
• पीठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; nominative/accusative singular (neuter)

• गर्भगृहम्: sanctum; inner shrine
• गर्भगृहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्भ + गृह (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गर्भस्य गृहः)

• प्रभासस्य: of Prabhāsa
• प्रभासस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive singular

• प्रकीर्त्यते: is proclaimed/declared
• प्रकीर्त्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), present indicative: 'is proclaimed'

• यथाक्रमम्: in order; sequentially
• यथाक्रमम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा + क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय (adverb): 'in due order/according to sequence'

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; nominative/accusative singular (neuter)

• तस्य: of that; its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; genitive singular (pronoun)

• कोटिकोटिगुणम्: crore upon crore times (multiplied)
• कोटिकोटिगुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोटि + कोटि + गुण (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी/तत्पुरुषार्थे समास: 'कोटि-कोटि-गुण' = 'many crores-fold'

• स्मृतम्: is said/considered
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; past passive participle: 'is said/remembered'

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic three-tier sacred diagram: broad Prabhāsa-kṣetra encircling a pīṭha zone, culminating in the garbhagṛha of the central shrine; Śiva explains that merit multiplies ‘koṭi-koṭi-guṇa’ inwardly.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• kṣetra
• pīṭha
• garbhagṛha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holiness is graded: moving inward toward the sacred center intensifies merit, reflecting deeper proximity to the Divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa, described through its concentric sacred zones: kṣetra, pīṭha, and garbhagṛha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No particular rite is named; the verse teaches a pilgrim’s orientation—approaching the inner sanctum yields exponentially greater fruit.