Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

दत्तैः षोडशभिः श्राद्धैर्वृषोत्सर्गे कृते पुनः । विधिवद्भोजितैर्विप्रैर्भवेन्मुक्तिर्न संशयः

Transliteration

dattaiḥ ṣoḍaśabhiḥ śrāddhairvṛṣotsarge kṛte punaḥ | vidhivadbhojitairviprairbhavenmuktirna saṃśayaḥ

Translation

جب شاستر کے مطابق سولہ شرادھ نذرانے ادا کیے جائیں، پھر وِرشوتسرگ (بیل کو آزاد کرنے) کی رسم کی جائے، اور برہمنوں کو قاعدے کے مطابق بھوجن کرایا جائے—تو مکتی حاصل ہوتی ہے، اس میں کوئی شک نہیں۔

Word by Word

• दत्तैः: by (things) given
• दत्तैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दत्त (√दा धातु; क्त-प्रत्यय, कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle) — 'given'

• षोडशभिः: with sixteen
• षोडशभिः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (प्रातिपदिक; संख्यावाचक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक विशेषण — 'with sixteen'

• श्राद्धैः: by śrāddha rites
• श्राद्धैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — 'by/with śrāddha rites'

• वृषोत्सर्गे: in the vṛṣotsarga rite
• वृषोत्सर्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष-उत्सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वृषस्य उत्सर्गः) — 'in the bull-release (rite)'

• कृते: when (it is) done
• कृते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (√कृ धातु; क्त-प्रत्यय, कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त — 'when done' (locative absolute with सप्तमी)

• पुनः: then/again
• पुनः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण — 'again/then'

• विधिवत्: properly, as prescribed
• विधिवत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिवत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण — 'according to rule'

• भोजितैः: by (Brahmins) fed
• भोजितैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भोजित (√भुज् धातु; णिच्/प्रयोजक-भाव + क्त, कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त — 'having been fed/caused to eat'

• विप्रैः: by Brahmins
• विप्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — 'by Brahmins'

• भवेत्: would be / results
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद — 'would be/should occur'

• मुक्तिः: liberation
• मुक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — 'liberation'

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात — 'not'

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Subject complement/प्रथमा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — 'doubt'

Speaker

Narrative voice within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya (speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On a Prabhāsa ghāṭa, a householder performs śrāddha with sixteen offerings; nearby a decorated bull is ritually released (vṛṣotsarga); brāhmaṇas sit in a row being fed; the Somnātha shrine stands in the background, signifying assured mukti.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Saṃgāleśvara
• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)
• Śrāddha
• Vṛṣotsarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage merit is strengthened by dharmic rites—śrāddha, vṛṣotsarga, and respectful feeding of brāhmaṇas—culminating in the promise of mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, in the Saṃgāleśvara māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform sixteen śrāddhas, do vṛṣotsarga (release/dedicate a bull), and feed brāhmaṇas according to proper ritual procedure.