Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

स्नानं दानं जपो होमो देवपूजा द्विजार्चनम् । अक्षयं जायते सर्वं विधिवच्चेद्भवेत्कृतम्

Transliteration

snānaṃ dānaṃ japo homo devapūjā dvijārcanam | akṣayaṃ jāyate sarvaṃ vidhivaccedbhavetkṛtam

Translation

การอาบน้ำศักดิ์สิทธิ์ การให้ทาน การสวดมนต์ (ชปะ) การบูชาไฟ (โหมะ) การบูชาเทพ และการนอบน้อมทวิชะ—เมื่อกระทำตามพิธีวิธีอันถูกต้อง ผลบุญทั้งปวงย่อมเป็นอักขยะ ไม่สิ้นสูญ

Word by Word

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject: bathing)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• दानम्: charity
• दानम्: Karta (Subject: giving)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• जपः: japa; repetition (of mantra)
• जपः: Karta (Subject: recitation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• होमः: homa; fire-offering
• होमः: Karta (Subject: oblation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: होम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• देवपूजा: worship of the deity
• देवपूजा: Karta (Subject: worship)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवस्य पूजा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• द्विजार्चनम्: honoring (worship of) Brahmins
• द्विजार्चनम्: Karta (Subject: honoring)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (द्विजस्य अर्चनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• अक्षयम्: imperishable
• अक्षयम्: Predicate (result-quality)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (उपसर्ग/नञ्) + क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-समासवत्; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular); विधेय-विशेषण

• जायते: arises; becomes
• जायते: Kriya (action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject: everything)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• विधिवत्: according to proper procedure
• विधिवत्: Kriya-visheshana (adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय (adverb: 'according to rule')

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तबोधक अव्यय (conditional particle: 'if')

• भवेत्: should be; would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (action in conditional clause)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन (3rd person singular)

• कृतम्: done; performed
• कृतम्: Predicate complement (state: done)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular); कर्मणि प्रयोगे 'done'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purāṇa māhātmya narration context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tīrtha-ghāṭa scene: pilgrims bathing, a yajña-kuṇḍa with homa flames, a devotee doing japa, offerings to a deity, and respectful honoring of brāhmaṇas—radiating a sense of ‘akṣaya’ merit.

Characters & Entities

• Vastrāpatha-kṣetra
• Devas
• Dvija (Brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When sacred acts are done properly (vidhivat), their merit becomes akṣaya—spiritually inexhaustible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha-kṣetra, within the Prabhāsa region, is praised as a place where common rites yield imperishable fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna, dāna, japa, homa, deva-pūjā, and dvija-arcana—performed according to prescribed rules.