Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

न हि पश्यति पापात्मा मुक्तः पापेन पश्यति । सेव्यते स गिरिर्नित्यं धातुवादपरैर्नरैः

Transliteration

na hi paśyati pāpātmā muktaḥ pāpena paśyati | sevyate sa girirnityaṃ dhātuvādaparairnaraiḥ

Translation

പാപബന്ധിതനായവന് അതിനെ യഥാർത്ഥമായി കാണാൻ കഴിയില്ല; പാപമുക്തനായവനേ കാണാൻ കഴിയും. അതുകൊണ്ട് ധാതുവാദത്തിൽ നിരതർ ആ ഗിരിയെ നിത്യം ആശ്രയിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम् (sg)

• pāpātmā: sinful-souled person
• pāpātmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nom.1), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (pāpasya ātmā)

• muktaḥ: freed
• muktaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: muc (मुच् धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (Nom.1), एकवचनम्

• pāpena: by/with sin
• pāpena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instr.3), एकवचनम्

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (दृश् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम् (sg)

• sevyate: is resorted to/served
• sevyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sev (सेव् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive sense)

• saḥ: that/he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (Nom.1), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• giriḥ: mountain
• giriḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (गिरि प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा (Nom.1), एकवचनम्

• nityam: always
• nityam: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (नित्य प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverbial accusative/avyayībhāva usage)

• dhātuvādaparaiḥ: by men devoted to mineral/metal lore
• dhātuvādaparaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhātuvāda (धातुवाद प्रातिपदिक) + para (पर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया (Instr.3), बहुवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (dhātuvāde parāḥ = devoted to mineral/metal discourse)

• naraiḥ: by men
• naraiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (नर प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया (Instr.3), बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāñcanaśekhara/Vastrāpatha giri (as referenced)

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant mountain partly veiled in mist: ordinary, darkened figures fail to perceive its brilliance, while a purified pilgrim sees it shining; nearby, ascetic-alchemist types examine ores respectfully, not greedily.

Characters & Entities

• Vastrāpatha
• Prabhāsa
• giri (sacred mountain)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of a holy place is not merely physical—inner purity is the true qualification for perceiving its sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred mountain within the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra of Prabhāsa is being praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is prescribed; the verse implies purification from pāpa as the prerequisite for true darśana.