Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 202

Devanagari script

म्लेच्छानां छेदनं कृत्वा याज्ञवल्यपुरोहितः । बहुस्वर्णेन यज्ञेन यक्ष्ये निष्कृतिकारणात्

Transliteration

mlecchānāṃ chedanaṃ kṛtvā yājñavalyapurohitaḥ | bahusvarṇena yajñena yakṣye niṣkṛtikāraṇāt

Translation

മ്ലേച്ഛന്മാരെ ഛേദിച്ച്, യാജ്ഞവൽക്ക്യനെ പുരോഹിതനാക്കി, പ്രായശ്ചിത്തവും പുനഃസ്ഥാപനവും നിമിത്തം ബഹുസ്വർണ്ണസമൃദ്ധമായ യജ്ഞം ഞാൻ നടത്തും।

Word by Word

• म्लेच्छानाम्: of the mlecchas
• म्लेच्छानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: म्लेच्छ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/Genitive); बहुवचन

• छेदनम्: cutting, slaying
• छेदनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छेदन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund); अव्ययभाव

• याज्ञवल्य-पुरोहितः: the priest of Yājñavalkya
• याज्ञवल्य-पुरोहितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याज्ञवल्य (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरोहित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (याज्ञवल्यस्य पुरोहितः)

• बहु-स्वर्णेन: with much gold
• बहु-स्वर्णेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन; कर्मधारय (बहु स्वर्णम्)

• यज्ञेन: by/with a sacrifice
• यज्ञेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental); एकवचन

• यक्ष्ये: I will sacrifice, I will perform a yajña
• यक्ष्ये: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यज् (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future); आत्मनेपद; उत्तमपुरुष (1st); एकवचन

• निष्कृति-कारणात्: for the sake of expiation (as the cause)
• निष्कृति-कारणात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निष्कृति (प्रातिपदिक) + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative); एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (निष्कृतेः कारणम्)

Speaker

Unspecified (prophetic first-person voice within the Māhātmya passage)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience of the kathā (likely sages; immediate interlocutor shifts to Nārada/Vāmana narrative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A victorious ruler vows a gold-rich yajña for expiation; Yājñavalkya stands as purohita; sacrificial ground with altars, gold vessels, and attendants preparing offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Mleccha
• Yājñavalkya
• Yajña
• Niṣkṛti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Restoration of dharma is paired with purification: force removes adharma, and yajña/niṣkṛti re-establishes sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in the verse; it belongs to the Vastrāpatha-kṣetra Māhātmya’s broader eschatological frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of a gold-endowed yajña for niṣkṛti (expiation/atonement), with a designated purohita (Yājñavalkya).