Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

सिद्धिं शरीरजां देवि यदीच्छेन्मानवोत्तमः । स स्नानमादितः कृत्वा संवत्सरत्रयं पुनः

Transliteration

siddhiṃ śarīrajāṃ devi yadīcchenmānavottamaḥ | sa snānamāditaḥ kṛtvā saṃvatsaratrayaṃ punaḥ

Translation

اے دیوی! اگر کوئی برتر انسان جسمانی سِدھی (کمالِ بدن) چاہے تو وہ ابتدا میں مقررہ اشنان کر کے پھر تین برس تک اسی عمل کو جاری رکھے۔

Word by Word

• सिद्धिम्: attainment, success
• सिद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• शरीरजाम्: born of the body, bodily
• शरीरजाम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √जन्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पञ्चमी/षष्ठीभावः: ‘born from the body’); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सिद्धिम्)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तार्थक-निपात (conditional particle)

• इच्छेत्: should desire
• इच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: इष्/इच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘should desire’

• मानवोत्तमः: the best of men
• मानवोत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय: ‘best man’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• स्नानम्: bath, bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आदितः: from the beginning
• आदितः: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘from the beginning’

• कृत्वा: having performed
• कृत्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभावः; ‘having done/performed’

• संवत्सरत्रयम्: for three years
• संवत्सरत्रयम्: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time extent/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संवत्सर (प्रातिपदिक) + त्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालपरिमाणम्

• पुनः: again, further
• पुनः: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Unspecified (addressing Devī; within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (as addressed: ‘देवि’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined pilgrim begins with ritual bathing at Prabhāsa and is shown across seasons/years in repeated snāna, symbolizing a three-year vow toward kāya-siddhi.

Characters & Entities

• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Higher attainments require long-term, regulated practice anchored in purity (snāna) and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra; the bathing is understood as tīrtha-bathing within this sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Undertake the bathing regimen and sustain the observance continuously for three years to seek bodily siddhi.