Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

मृत्तिके हर मे पापं यन्मया पूर्वसंचितम् । त्वया हतेन पापेन पूतः संवत्सरं भवेत्

Transliteration

mṛttike hara me pāpaṃ yanmayā pūrvasaṃcitam | tvayā hatena pāpena pūtaḥ saṃvatsaraṃ bhavet

Translation

โอ ดินศักดิ์สิทธิ์ โปรดขจัดบาปที่ข้าพเจ้าได้สั่งสมมาแต่ก่อน เมื่อบาปนั้นถูกทำลายด้วยท่านแล้ว ผู้นั้นย่อมบริสุทธิ์ตลอดหนึ่งปีเต็ม

Word by Word

• मृत्तिके: O earth/clay
• मृत्तिके: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्तिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; संबोधन-प्रयोगः (vocative address)

• हर: remove
• हर: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6/genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/accusative), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यत् (relative)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartṛ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3/instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पूर्व: previously
• पूर्व: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन पूर्व- (पूर्वकालवाचक); समासपूर्वपदत्वेन विशेषणम्

• संचितम्: accumulated
• संचितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+चि (धातु) → सञ्चित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/accusative), एकवचन; पापम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3/instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• हतेन: destroyed
• हतेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) → हत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग?; तृतीया (3/instrumental), एकवचन; पापेन इति विशेषणम्

• पापेन: by (that) sin
• पापेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3/instrumental), एकवचन

• पूतः: purified
• पूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पू (धातु) → पूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/nominative), एकवचन; कर्तृपद-विशेषणम्

• संवत्सरम्: for a year
• संवत्सरम्: Kaaladhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/accusative), एकवचन; कालावधि-प्रयोगः

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Prahlāda (continuation of mṛttikā-mantra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā mṛttikā (Gomatī-taṭa)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim smears sacred clay on limbs and forehead; a subtle aura indicates ‘year-long purity’ as a protective radiance; attendants hold water pots and darbha.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛttikā (sacred earth)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purification is portrayed as tangible and time-bound merit gained through reverent tīrtha-rituals.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is part of the Gomatī tīrtha regimen in Dvārakā-māhātmya, where even the local clay is purificatory.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reciting a prayer to mṛttikā while applying/touching it, seeking destruction of accumulated sin and year-long purity.