Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

रौद्री तु प्रथमा यात्रा वैष्णवी च द्वितीयिका । ब्राह्मी तृतीया संख्याता सर्वपातकनाशिनी

Transliteration

raudrī tu prathamā yātrā vaiṣṇavī ca dvitīyikā | brāhmī tṛtīyā saṃkhyātā sarvapātakanāśinī

Translation

ആദ്യ യാത്ര റൗദ്രീ, രണ്ടാം വൈഷ്ണവീ; മൂന്നാം ബ്രാഹ്മീ എന്നു എണ്ണപ്പെടുന്നു. ഈ ത്രിവിധ യാത്ര സർവ്വ പാതകങ്ങളും നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നതാണ്.

Word by Word

• रौद्री: Raudrī (pertaining to Rudra)
• रौद्री: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रौद्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (यात्रायाः)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• प्रथमा: first
• प्रथमा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal)

• यात्रा: pilgrimage
• यात्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वैष्णवी: Vaiṣṇavī (pertaining to Viṣṇu)
• वैष्णवी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैष्णवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (यात्रायाः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• द्वितीयिका: second
• द्वितीयिका: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वितीयिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal)

• ब्राह्मी: Brāhmī (pertaining to Brahmā)
• ब्राह्मी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्राह्मी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (यात्रायाः)

• तृतीया: third
• तृतीया: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal)

• संख्याता: is called/declared
• संख्याता: Predicate (Vidheyā/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + ख्या (धातु) → संख्यात (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'कथिता/उच्यते'

• सर्वपातकनाशिनी: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपातकनाशिनी: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (सर्वेषां पातकानां नाशिनी)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Raudrī-yātrā / Vaiṣṇavī-yātrā / Brāhmī-yātrā (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Three processional streams of pilgrims: Raudrī led by trident banners and liṅga shrines; Vaiṣṇavī led by conch-disc banners and Viṣṇu shrines; Brāhmī led by lotus banners and Brahmā-associated altars; above them a radiant inscription ‘sarva-pātaka-nāśinī’.

Characters & Entities

• Raudrī-yātrā
• Vaiṣṇavī-yātrā
• Brāhmī-yātrā
• Rudra
• Viṣṇu
• Brahmā
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage integrates multiple divine currents—Śaiva, Vaiṣṇava, and Brāhma—culminating in comprehensive purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, through its three named yātrā-circuits tied to Rudra, Viṣṇu, and Brahmā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Undertaking the threefold pilgrimage—Raudrī, Vaiṣṇavī, and Brāhmī—is presented as a sin-destroying practice.