Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

सप्तजन्मकृतैः पापैर्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः । त्रिंशद्धनुष्प्रमाणेन तस्य क्षेत्रचतुर्द्दिशम्

Transliteration

saptajanmakṛtaiḥ pāpairmucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ | triṃśaddhanuṣpramāṇena tasya kṣetracaturddiśam

Translation

അവൻ ഏഴ് ജന്മങ്ങളിൽ ചെയ്ത പാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് മോചിതനാകും—ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല. ആ ക്ഷേത്രപരിധി നാലുദിക്കിലും മുപ്പത് ധനുസ്സിന്റെ അളവോളം വ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• सप्तजन्मकृतैः: done over seven births
• सप्तजन्मकृतैः: Karana (करण/Instrument; cause)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त + जन्म + कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ)
• Form: सप्तजन्मसु कृतैः इति सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष; कृत (क्त-प्रत्यय/PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्ग? अत्र पापैः इति पुं/नपुं बहुवचन तृतीया सह—तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (पापैः)

• पापैः: by sins
• पापैः: Karana (करण/Instrument; cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (प्रायः), तृतीया, बहुवचन

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Adverbial locative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject; of implied ‘asti’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• त्रिंशत्: thirty
• त्रिंशत्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रिंशत् (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; (समासे पूर्वपद)

• धनुःप्रमाणेन: by the measure of a bow
• धनुःप्रमाणेन: Karana (करण/Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (धनुषः प्रमाणम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• तस्य: of it/of that (place)
• तस्य: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• क्षेत्रचतुर्दिशम्: the four sides (extent) of the sacred area
• क्षेत्रचतुर्दिशम्: Karma (कर्म/Object; implied ‘(asti)’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र + चतुर् + दिश् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (क्षेत्रस्य चतुर्दिशम्/चारो दिशः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; परिमाण/विस्तारवाचक

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Prabhāsa Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ikṣvākvīśvara-kṣetra (within Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim approaches a marked quadrangle-like sacred precinct; priests indicate the boundary measured as thirty bow-lengths; the shrine stands at the center, with protective deities at the four directions.

Characters & Entities

• Ikṣvākvīśvara/Vṛṣabheśa Kṣetra (precinct)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and worship in a consecrated kṣetra are portrayed as powerfully purificatory, erasing deep karmic burdens.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The precinct (kṣetra) around the Ikṣvākvīśvara/Vṛṣabheśa Liṅga at Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, worship/approach within the defined sacred boundary; the verse also specifies the kṣetra’s extent (thirty dhanus in each direction).