Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

एतत्क्षेत्रं यवाकारं वैष्णवं पापनाशनम्

Transliteration

etatkṣetraṃ yavākāraṃ vaiṣṇavaṃ pāpanāśanam

Translation

ਇਹ ਖੇਤਰ ਜੌ ਦੇ ਦਾਣੇ ਵਰਗਾ ਆਕਾਰ ਰੱਖਦਾ ਹੈ, ਵੈਸ਼ਣਵ ਸੁਭਾਵ ਵਾਲਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਪਾਪਾਂ ਦਾ ਨਾਸ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• kṣetram: sacred field, holy place
• kṣetram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• yavākāram: barley-shaped
• yavākāram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yava + ākāra (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (yavasya ākāraḥ) विशेषण

• vaiṣṇavam: Vaiṣṇava, belonging to Viṣṇu
• vaiṣṇavam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaiṣṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; तद्धितान्त विशेषण (pertaining to Viṣṇu)

• pāpanāśanam: destroyer of sins
• pāpanāśanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (pāpānāṃ nāśanam)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhāminī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stylized aerial view of Prabhāsa shaped like a barley grain, glowing with Vaiṣṇava radiance; pilgrims entering and shedding dark ‘sin’ motifs as they cross into the luminous field.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Viṣṇu (implied by vaiṣṇavam)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s sanctity is expressed as both sacred form (ākāra) and spiritual power (sin-destruction).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, praised as Vaiṣṇava and pāpanāśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated; the verse asserts the inherent purificatory merit of the place.