Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

राजसाः सत्त्वमायांति विष्णुधर्मं सनातनम् । क्षेत्रस्य तस्य माहात्म्यात्सत्यमेतत्प्रकीर्तितम्

Transliteration

rājasāḥ sattvamāyāṃti viṣṇudharmaṃ sanātanam | kṣetrasya tasya māhātmyātsatyametatprakīrtitam

Translation

Mereka yang dikuasai rajas (nafsu dan gelora) akan menuju kepada sattva (kesucian dan kebaikan) serta kepada dharma Viṣṇu yang kekal—melalui kebesaran wilayah suci itu; inilah yang diisytiharkan sebagai kebenaran.

Word by Word

• rājasāḥ: those (people) of rajas
• rājasāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; गुणविशेषवाचक (those of rajas-nature)

• sattvam: sattva (purity)
• sattvam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• āyānti: come to/attain
• āyānti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√yā (या)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• viṣṇu-dharmam: the dharma of Vishnu
• viṣṇu-dharmam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘विष्णोः धर्मम्’

• sanātanam: eternal
• sanātanam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; viṣṇu-dharmam इति विशेषण

• kṣetrasya: of the sacred place
• kṣetrasya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• tasya: of that
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन (pronoun)

• māhātmyāt: due to the greatness
• māhātmyāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause)

• satyam: truth
• satyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (pronoun)

• prakīrtitam: has been proclaimed
• prakīrtitam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया-भाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√kīrt (कीर्त्) + ta (क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; कर्मणि-भाव (has been proclaimed)

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Dvārakā Māhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in this excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-śreṣṭhas (brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim arriving at Dvārakā’s sacred precincts, mind shifting from restless rajas to calm sattva, with Viṣṇu/Kṛṣṇa iconography presiding over the kṣetra’s purifying aura.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Viṣṇudharma
• Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Association with a holy kṣetra is said to refine character—turning rājasa tendencies toward sattva and steady Vaiṣṇava dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ‘kṣetra’ refers to the Dvārakā sacred region being praised in this Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No single rite is specified; the emphasis is on transformative contact with the kṣetra and adherence to Viṣṇudharma.