Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

गच्छ रैवतकं शैलं यत्र दामोदरः स्थितः । कृत्वा मासोपवासं तु द्विजो दामोदराग्रतः

Transliteration

gaccha raivatakaṃ śailaṃ yatra dāmodaraḥ sthitaḥ | kṛtvā māsopavāsaṃ tu dvijo dāmodarāgrataḥ

Translation

ദാമോദരൻ അധിവസിക്കുന്ന റൈവതക പർവ്വതത്തിലേക്ക് പോകുക. ദാമോദരന്റെ സന്നിധിയിൽ ഒരു മാസം ഉപവാസം അനുഷ്ഠിച്ച് ദ്വിജൻ (വാഗ്ദത്ത ഫലം) പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• gaccha: go
• gaccha: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• raivatakam: to Raivataka
• raivatakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raivataka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (as destination)

• śailam: mountain
• śailam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; raivatakam इति विशेषणेन विशिष्टम्

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• dāmodaraḥ: Dāmodara (Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa)
• dāmodaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāmodara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sthitaḥ: is situated / stands
• sthitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्थितः’ = having stayed/being present

• kṛtvā: having performed
• kṛtvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): ‘having done’

• māsa-upavāsam: a month-long fast
• māsa-upavāsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक) + upavāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘मासस्य उपवासः’ (a month-long fast)

• tu: indeed / and
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक (but/indeed)

• dvijaḥ: a brāhmaṇa (twice-born)
• dvijaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• dāmodara-agrataḥ: in front of Dāmodara
• dāmodara-agrataḥ: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dāmodara (प्रातिपदिक) + agrataḥ (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निबद्ध)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; ‘दामोदरस्य अग्रतः’ इति अर्थे; अव्यय—‘in front of Dāmodara’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya narration context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Raivataka-śaila

Type: peak

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim ascends the sacred Raivataka mountain path toward a Dāmodara shrine; he is lean from a month-long fast, carrying a water pot and prayer beads, standing before the deity in reverent stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Raivataka
• Dāmodara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage joined with disciplined vrata (fasting) before the deity is presented as a powerful purifier and merit-bestower.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mount Raivataka, identified as the place where Dāmodara resides within the Prabhāsa sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Māsa-upavāsa: observing a month-long fast in the presence of Dāmodara.