Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

उपपातकानि षष्ठेन स्नानेनैव व्यपोहति

Transliteration

upapātakāni ṣaṣṭhena snānenaiva vyapohati

Translation

ଷଷ୍ଠ ସ୍ନାନମାତ୍ରେ ଉପପାତକ—ଅର୍ଥାତ୍ ଗୌଣ ପାପମାନ—ନିଶ୍ଚୟ ଦୂର ହୁଏ।

Word by Word

• upapātakāni: secondary sins/minor offences
• upapātakāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upapātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (accusative plural neuter)

• ṣaṣṭhena: by the sixth (one)
• ṣaṣṭhena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental singular); क्रमवाचक विशेषण

• snānena: by bathing
• snānena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• eva: alone/indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• vyapohati: removes/dispels
• vyapohati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-apa-√uh (धातु: ऊह्/ऊह् ‘to remove/drive away’)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Śiva (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa Māgha-snānā (sixth bath)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: प्रिय/वरानना interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Final immersion of the pilgrim; heavier ‘stains’ represented as shackles or dark knots breaking apart; a clear aura surrounds the bather as the sixth bath completes the cycle.

Characters & Entities

• Upapātaka (secondary sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Persistent, disciplined sacred practice is portrayed as strong enough to cleanse even classified moral faults.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s tīrthas, whose bathing is said to destroy upapātakas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A sixth consecutive sacred bath, emphasized as sufficient in itself for removing upapātakas.