Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

स्नानं दानं जपो होमः पितृदेवाभिपूजनम् । सर्वं कोटिगुणं प्रोक्तं भास्करस्यवचो यथा

Transliteration

snānaṃ dānaṃ japo homaḥ pitṛdevābhipūjanam | sarvaṃ koṭiguṇaṃ proktaṃ bhāskarasyavaco yathā

Translation

O banho ritual, a caridade, a recitação de mantras, a oferenda ao fogo (homa) e a veneração dos antepassados e dos deuses—tudo isso é declarado como mérito multiplicado por um crore, conforme a palavra de Bhāskara.

Word by Word

• snānam: bathing
• snānam: Karta/Topic (enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषय

• dānam: charity
• dānam: Karta/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषय

• japaḥ: recitation (japa)
• japaḥ: Karta/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषय

• homaḥ: fire-offering
• homaḥ: Karta/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: homa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समुच्चित-विषय

• pitṛ-deva-abhi-pūjanam: worship of ancestors and gods
• pitṛ-deva-abhi-pūjanam: Karta/Topic
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक) + abhi-√pūj (धातु) + -ana (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (पितॄणां देवानां च अभिपूजनम्)

• sarvam: all (this)
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; समस्त-समुच्चयस्य विशेषण

• koṭi-guṇam: a crore-fold
• koṭi-guṇam: Predicate adjective (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (कोट्या गुणः)

• proktam: is declared/said
• proktam: Kriya (verbal predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√vac (धातु) + -ta (क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय ("is said")

• bhāskarasya: of Bhāskara (the Sun)
• bhāskarasya: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• vacaḥ: word/statement
• vacaḥ: Pramana/Reference
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र प्रथमा—उपमान/प्रमाण ("as the word")

• yathā: as/according to
• yathā: Comparison/Reference marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (as/according to)

Speaker

Unspecified (attributed to Bhāskara’s teaching within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Bhāskara-prabhāva)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic ritual tableau at Prabhāsa: pilgrims bathing, priests conducting homa, devotees chanting japa with mālā, donors giving alms, and a family performing pitṛ-tarpaṇa; above, Bhāskara radiates approving light, symbolizing koṭi-guṇa merit.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāskara
• Pitṛs
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ordinary dharmic acts become extraordinarily fruitful when performed under the sanctity of Sūrya’s blessing and sacred place-time.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where these acts are extolled as koṭiguṇa (crore-fold).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna, dāna, japa, homa, and worship of pitṛs and devas—promised multiplied merit.