Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

पञ्चविंशतितत्त्वानि यदा जानंति योगिनः । मुच्यन्ते पातकैः सर्वैः सप्तजन्मकृतैरपि

Transliteration

pañcaviṃśatitattvāni yadā jānaṃti yoginaḥ | mucyante pātakaiḥ sarvaiḥ saptajanmakṛtairapi

Translation

യോഗികൾ ഇരുപത്തിയഞ്ച് തത്ത്വങ്ങളെ അറിയുമ്പോൾ, അവർ എല്ലാ പാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നും—ഏഴ് ജന്മങ്ങളിൽ ചെയ്തതായാലും—മുക്തരാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• pañcaviṃśatitattvāni: the twenty-five principles (tattvas)
• pañcaviṃśatitattvāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañca-viṃśati-tattva (प्रातिपदिक; पञ्च + विंशति + तत्त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः—‘पञ्चविंशतिः संख्या यस्य’ → ‘पञ्चविंशतितत्त्वानि’ (the twenty-five principles)

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kriya (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (when)

• jānanti: know
• jānanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jñā (ज्ञा) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम् (they know)

• yoginaḥ: yogis
• yoginaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yogin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; (yogis)

• mucyante: are freed
• mucyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (मुच्) (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः—‘मुच्यन्ते’ (are liberated)

• pātakaiḥ: from sins
• pātakaiḥ: Apadana (Ablative sense via Instrumental/अपादानार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; (from/by sins)

• sarvaiḥ: all
• sarvaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; ‘पातकैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (all)

• saptajanmakṛtaiḥ: committed over seven births
• saptajanmakṛtaiḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta-janma-kṛta (प्रातिपदिक; सप्त + जन्म + √kṛ क्त ‘कृत’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘सप्तजन्मसु कृतैः’ (done over seven births); ‘पातकैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (even/also)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary tableau of the 25 tattvas as concentric emanations: prakṛti as a dark-golden field, buddhi as a luminous orb, ahaṃkāra branching into tanmātras and elements; above them, a serene puruṣa witnessing; sins depicted as dark knots dissolving into light.

Characters & Entities

• yoginaḥ (yogins)
• tattvāni (principles)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True liberation from deep karmic burden is linked to penetrating knowledge of reality’s principles (tattva-jñāna), not mere outward observance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The doctrinal teaching is embedded in the glorification of Vastrāpatha-kṣetra within Prabhāsa, presenting the kṣetra as a setting conducive to liberating knowledge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is prescribed; the emphasis is on jñāna—realization of the twenty-five tattvas—as the purifier.