Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

तद्गृहे निधनं प्राप्तः पापात्मा सर्वभक्षकः । वाराणसीप्रभावेन न प्राप्तो नरकं तदा

Transliteration

tadgṛhe nidhanaṃ prāptaḥ pāpātmā sarvabhakṣakaḥ | vārāṇasīprabhāvena na prāpto narakaṃ tadā

Translation

Sa bahay niya siya’y inabot ng kamatayan—makasalanan at kumakain ng lahat; ngunit dahil sa banal na kapangyarihan ng Vārāṇasī, hindi siya noon nahulog sa impiyerno.

Word by Word

• तत्: his/that
• तत्: सम्बन्ध (Genitive within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• गृहे: in (that) house
• गृहे: अधिकरण (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• निधनम्: death
• निधनम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• प्राप्तः: met/attained
• प्राप्तः: क्रिया (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्राप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकालिक (past participle)

• पापात्मा: sinful person
• पापात्मा: कर्ता (Subject apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: 'पापः आत्मा यस्य' (sinful-souled)

• सर्वभक्षकः: an eater of everything
• सर्वभक्षकः: कर्ता (Subject qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्षक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष: 'सर्वं भक्षयति' (one who eats everything)

• वाराणसी: of Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: सम्बन्ध (Genitive within compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• प्रभावेन: by the power
• प्रभावेन: करण/हेतु (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: सम्बन्ध (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• प्राप्तः: went/attained
• प्राप्तः: क्रिया (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्राप् (धातु) → प्राप्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकालिक

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: कर्म (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• तदा: then/at that time
• तदा: कालाधिकरण (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced: Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage audience seeking tīrtha-phala knowledge

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sinner dies in a humble house; above or behind, an unseen radiance symbolizing Kāśī’s spiritual potency prevents the descent into hell—Yama’s messengers halted at a threshold of light.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Kāśī
• naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A great tīrtha’s prabhāva (sacred potency) can mitigate immediate descent into naraka, highlighting the mysterious mercy tied to holy places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī) is explicitly praised for its “prabhāva” (spiritual power).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse implies the salvific effect of dying/being connected with Kāśī’s sphere of influence.