Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । राशयः पुण्यपुञ्जानां कृता वै तपसां तथा । यज्ञदानव्रतानां च तीर्थानां महतां भुवि

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | rāśayaḥ puṇyapuñjānāṃ kṛtā vai tapasāṃ tathā | yajñadānavratānāṃ ca tīrthānāṃ mahatāṃ bhuvi

Translation

ଋଷିମାନେ କହିଲେ—ପୃଥିବୀରେ ପୁଣ୍ୟପୁଞ୍ଜର ରାଶି ଜମା ହୋଇଛି; ସେଗୁଡ଼ିକ ତପସ୍ୟା, ଏବଂ ଯଜ୍ଞ, ଦାନ, ବ୍ରତରୁ ଉତ୍ପନ୍ନ; ଏଠାରେ ମହାନ୍ ତୀର୍ଥମାନେ ମଧ୍ୟ ଅଛନ୍ତି।

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Perfect, 3rd person, Plural

• राशयः: heaps, masses
• राशयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राशि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पुण्यपुञ्जानाम्: of heaps of merit
• पुण्यपुञ्जानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + पुञ्ज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• कृताः: made, formed
• कृताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Past passive participle, Masculine, Nominative, Plural; विशेषण (राशयः)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (निपात)
• Form: निपात/अव्यय — emphatic particle

• तपसाम्: of austerities
• तपसाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• तथा: likewise, similarly
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — manner adverb

• यज्ञदानव्रतानाम्: of sacrifices, gifts, and vows
• यज्ञदानव्रतानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक) + व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter (collective dvandva), Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय — conjunction

• तीर्थानाम्: of sacred places
• तीर्थानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• महताम्: great
• महताम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Genitive, Plural; विशेषण (तीर्थानाम्)

• भुवि: on earth
• भुवि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक: भुव्/भू)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Feminine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages speak in a calm, didactic tone, enumerating the sources of merit on earth—tapas, yajña, dāna, vrata, and the great tīrthas—like a spiritual ledger.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Tapas
• Yajña
• Dāna
• Vrata
• Tīrtha
• Bhū (earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma frames merit as accumulated through disciplined practice (tapas), ritual (yajña), charity (dāna), vows (vrata), and pilgrimage (tīrtha).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; the category of ‘great tīrthas on earth’ is praised as a major source and reservoir of puṇya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references yajña, dāna, and vrata as dharmic practices (without giving a specific procedure).