Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्गत्वा महाभागाः प्रक्षाल्य चरणौ मृदा । आचम्य च कुशान्गृह्य प्राङ्मुखो नियतः शुचिः

Transliteration

tasmingatvā mahābhāgāḥ prakṣālya caraṇau mṛdā | ācamya ca kuśāngṛhya prāṅmukho niyataḥ śuciḥ

Translation

Setibanya di sana, orang yang berbahagia hendaklah membasuh kaki dengan tanah (dan air), kemudian melakukan ācamanā; sambil memegang rumput kuśa, menghadap ke timur, berdisiplin dan suci (lalu meneruskan upacara).

Word by Word

• tasmin: there/in that place
• tasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — ‘in that (place)’

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriya (Gerund/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: अव्ययभावे कृदन्त (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय) — ‘having gone’ (पूर्वकालिक क्रिया)

• mahā-bhāgāḥ: the fortunate ones
• mahā-bhāgāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — बहुव्रीहि ‘महान् भागः यस्य’ = ‘fortunate’

• prakṣālya: having washed
• prakṣālya: Kriya (Gerund/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṣāl (धातु) + pra + ल्यप् (ल्यप्)
• Form: अव्ययभावे कृदन्त (ल्यप्) — ‘having washed’

• caraṇau: (the two) feet
• caraṇau: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), द्विवचन

• mṛdā: with earth/clay
• mṛdā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — ‘with clay/earth’

• ācamya: having performed ācamana
• ācamya: Kriya (Gerund/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √cam (धातु) + ā + ल्यप् (ल्यप्)
• Form: अव्ययभावे कृदन्त (ल्यप्) — ‘having sipped (water), performing ācamana’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• kuśān: kuśa grass blades
• kuśān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• gṛhya: having taken
• gṛhya: Kriya (Gerund/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √grah (धातु) + ल्यप् (ल्यप्)
• Form: अव्ययभावे कृदन्त (ल्यप्) — ‘having taken/held’

• prāṅ-mukhaḥ: facing east
• prāṅ-mukhaḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prāṅ (अव्यय/दिक्शब्द) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘पूर्वाभिमुखः’ (east-facing)

• niyataḥ: self-controlled
• niyataḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √yam (धातु) + ni + kta (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘restrained/controlled’

• śuciḥ: pure
• śuciḥ: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śuci (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘pure/clean’

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating (contextual attribution within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā tīrtha (preparatory rite; leads into Rukmiṇī-hrada worship)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims arrive at a coastal sacred precinct; they cleanse their feet with earth and water, sip ācamana, take kuśa-grass, and stand facing east in composed purity before the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Kuśa (grass)
• Tīrtha (Rukmiṇī-hrada context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Outer cleanliness and inner discipline are the doorway to effective tīrtha-worship and the reception of sacred merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rite is framed for the tīrtha being described in this chapter—Rukmiṇī-hrada/Bhṛgu-tīrtha in Dvārakā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Wash feet, perform ācamana, take kuśa-grass, face east, and maintain purity and restraint.