Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

एकः स्नाति सदा माघं प्रयागे नरसत्तमः । अन्यः पश्यति मामत्र फलं ताभ्यां समं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

ekaḥ snāti sadā māghaṃ prayāge narasattamaḥ | anyaḥ paśyati māmatra phalaṃ tābhyāṃ samaṃ smṛtam

Translation

انسانوں میں افضل ایک شخص پریاگ میں ماہِ ماغھ بھر برابر اشنان کرتا ہے؛ دوسرا یہاں میرا درشن کرتا ہے—دونوں کا پھل برابر کہا گیا ہے۔

Word by Word

• ekaḥ: one (person)
• ekaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• snāti: bathes
• snāti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Temporal modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time: ‘always’)

• māgham: (during) Māgha (month)
• māgham: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); कालवाचक-उपपद (time-accusative)

• prayāge: at Prayāga
• prayāge: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• narasattamaḥ: the best of men
• narasattamaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara + sattama (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (narāṇāṃ sattamaḥ)

• anyaḥ: another (person)
• anyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• phalam: result
• phalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• tābhyām: by/for those two
• tābhyām: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), द्विवचन (Dual)

• samam: equal
• samam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifying) phalam

• smṛtam: is stated
• smṛtam: Kriyā (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √smṛ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त-प्रत्यय); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (in comparison to Prayāga)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unspecified

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-panel comparison: left, pilgrims bathing at Prayāga’s confluence during Māgha with sunrise and crowds; right, a single devotee at Prabhāsa taking darśana—both streams of merit shown as equal through a shared golden aura.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Prabhāsakṣetra
• Prayāga
• Māgha-snāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prabhāsa is praised as so meritorious that a single darśana equals the famed Māgha-month bathing discipline at Prayāga.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Primarily Prabhāsakṣetra; Prayāga is mentioned as a renowned comparator tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Māgha-snāna—bathing throughout the month of Māgha at Prayāga.