Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

यदन्यत्र कृतं पापं तीर्थे तद्याति लाघवम् । न तीर्थकृतमन्यत्र क्वचिदेव व्यपोहति

Transliteration

yadanyatra kṛtaṃ pāpaṃ tīrthe tadyāti lāghavam | na tīrthakṛtamanyatra kvacideva vyapohati

Translation

جو گناہ کہیں اور کیا جائے وہ تیرتھ میں آنے سے ہلکا ہو جاتا ہے؛ مگر جو گناہ تیرتھ میں کیا جائے وہ کہیں بھی ہرگز زائل نہیں ہوتا۔

Word by Word

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; relative pronoun (here: 'whatever')

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place: elsewhere)

• कृतम्: done, committed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; agreeing with पापम्

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; nominative singular

• तीर्थे: in a tīrtha
• तीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; locative singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun referring to 'that (sin)'

• याति: goes, becomes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; present 3rd sg

• लाघवम्: lightness, diminution
• लाघवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लाघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; accusative singular (result/state)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• तीर्थकृतम्: (sin) done at a tīrtha
• तीर्थकृतम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + कृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सप्तमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे प्रयोगः (तीर्थे कृतम् = done at a tīrtha)

• अन्यत्र: elsewhere
• अन्यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (elsewhere)

• क्वचित्: ever, anywhere
• क्वचित्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अनिश्चित-देश/कालवाचक-अव्यय (indefinite adverb: anywhere/ever)

• एव: at all, indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis)

• व्यपोहति: is removed, is dispelled
• व्यपोहति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप + ऊह्/व्यूह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; present 3rd sg; उपसर्गः व्य- (वि + अप)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from section context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim arrives at the luminous Prabhāsa shore/kshetra, hands folded, while a subtle shadow-figure of ‘pāpa’ becomes lighter and disperses; beside it, a warning tableau shows a transgression within the sacred boundary weighed heavily on a cosmic scale.

Characters & Entities

• tīrtha
• pāpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage can lessen prior faults, but wrongdoing in a holy place carries exceptional weight and is difficult to expiate.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The principle is stated in the Prabhāsa-kṣetra context, applying to tīrthas generally.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An ethical injunction: maintain purity of conduct at tīrthas, since tīrtha-committed sins are not easily removed.