Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

यत्र तत्र नरः स्नात्वा स्वर्गलोके महीयते । क्षेत्रस्य प्रथमो भागो मेध्यो माहेश्वरः स्मृतः

Transliteration

yatra tatra naraḥ snātvā svargaloke mahīyate | kṣetrasya prathamo bhāgo medhyo māheśvaraḥ smṛtaḥ

Translation

ഇവിടെ എവിടെയെങ്കിലും മനുഷ്യൻ സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ, അവൻ സ്വർഗ്ഗലോകത്തിൽ ആദരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. ഈ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിന്റെ ആദ്യ ഭാഗം ‘മാഹേശ്വര’മെന്നു പുണ്യമായി സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: ‘where’)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (correlative adverb: ‘there’)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Prior action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया — having bathed

• स्वर्गलोके: in the heavenly world
• स्वर्गलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Masculine, Locative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वर्गस्य लोकः)

• महीयते: is honored, is glorified
• महीयते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Present indicative, 3rd person singular; कर्मणि/आत्मनेपदी प्रयोग: ‘is honored/glorified’

• क्षेत्रस्य: of the sacred region
• क्षेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Neuter, Genitive singular

• प्रथमः: first
• प्रथमः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular; विशेषण (qualifying भागः)

• भागः: portion, part
• भागः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular

• मेध्यः: pure, purifying
• मेध्यः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मेध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective of भागः)

• माहेश्वरः: belonging to Maheśvara (Śiva)
• माहेश्वरः: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माहेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular; विधेय-विशेषण (of भागः)

• स्मृतः: is called, is regarded
• स्मृतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative singular; ‘is said/considered’ (elliptic copula)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Māheśvara-bhāga)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Deveśi)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathe and then approach a Śiva shrine; above them, a celestial scene shows honored souls in svarga receiving garlands, indicating the fruit of snāna; a subtle label marks ‘Māheśvara-bhāga’.

Characters & Entities

• Svarga
• Māheśvara-bhāga
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purifying acts in a mahā-kṣetra—especially tīrtha-snān—are taught to yield exalted spiritual results, including heavenly honor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra broadly, and specifically its first division called the Māheśvara (Śaiva) portion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the tīrthas of the kṣetra is explicitly mentioned as meritorious.