Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

पंचामृतेन संस्नाप्य देवदेवं चतुर्भुजम् । एकादश्यां निराहारः पूजयित्वाऽच्युतो भवेत्

Transliteration

paṃcāmṛtena saṃsnāpya devadevaṃ caturbhujam | ekādaśyāṃ nirāhāraḥ pūjayitvā'cyuto bhavet

Translation

ପଞ୍ଚାମୃତରେ ଦେବଦେବ ଚତୁର୍ଭୁଜ ଭଗବାନଙ୍କୁ ସ୍ନାନ କରାଇ, ଏକାଦଶୀରେ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ନିରାହାର ରହି ପୂଜା କଲେ ସେ ଅଚ୍ୟୁତ-ପଦ ପାଏ।

Word by Word

• पञ्च-अमृतेन: with pañcāmṛta (fivefold nectar mixture)
• पञ्च-अमृतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया) एकवचनम्; द्विगु-समासः (five nectars)

• संस्नाप्य: having bathed (him)
• संस्नाप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सन् + स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (absolutive/gerund); 'having bathed/abluted'

• देव-देवम्: the God of gods
• देव-देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (god of gods)

• चतुर्भुजम्: four-armed
• चतुर्भुजम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + भुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचनम्; बहुव्रीहिः (one who has four arms)

• एकादश्याम्: on Ekādaśī
• एकादश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकादशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी) एकवचनम्; कालाधिकरणम्

• निराहारः: fasting (without food)
• निराहारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) एकवचनम्; नञ्/निर्-तत्पुरुषार्थः (without food)

• पूजयित्वा: having worshipped
• पूजयित्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्तम् (absolutive/gerund); 'having worshipped'

• अच्युतः: (as) Acyuta / one becomes Acyuta-like
• अच्युतः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृसमाना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अच्युत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा) एकवचनम्; कर्तृपदेन विशेष्यः (predicate nominative)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person) एकवचनम्

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa narration commonly via Sūta to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Daityasūdana/Viṣṇu-sannidhi within Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Prabhāsa, devotees bathe a four-armed Viṣṇu with pañcāmṛta (milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar), then offer flowers and lamps; the worshipper stands fasting, hands folded, seeking Acyuta’s grace.

Characters & Entities

• Pañcāmṛta
• Caturbhuja (Viṣṇu)
• Ekādaśī
• Acyuta (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual purity, devotion, and fasting on Ekādaśī culminate in closeness to Viṣṇu (Acyuta).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra as a Viṣṇu-centered sacred field where Ekādaśī worship is especially efficacious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pañcāmṛta-snāpana (abhiṣeka) of four-armed Viṣṇu and Ekādaśī nirāhāra (complete fast) with pūjā.