Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

यत्किंचित्कुरुते पापं मनुष्यो वृत्तिकर्शितः । तदेव पर्वतसुते सर्वं केशेषु तिष्ठति

Transliteration

yatkiṃcitkurute pāpaṃ manuṣyo vṛttikarśitaḥ | tadeva parvatasute sarvaṃ keśeṣu tiṣṭhati

Translation

Dẫu con người phạm bất cứ tội nào—bị dồn ép bởi nhọc nhằn mưu sinh—hỡi Ái nữ của Núi, tất cả tội ấy đều được nói là trú trong mái tóc.

Word by Word

• यत्: whatever (that which)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• किंचित्: any; some
• किंचित्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चितपरिमाणवाचक (indefinite particle) ‘some/any’

• कुरुते: does; commits
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• मनुष्यः: a man; human
• मनुष्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• वृत्तिकर्शितः: afflicted by (the need of) livelihood
• वृत्तिकर्शितः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्शित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; कृश्/कर्श् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘वृत्त्या कर्शितः’ (afflicted by livelihood); विशेषणम् मनुष्यः

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

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• पर्वतसुते: O daughter of the mountain (Pārvatī)
• पर्वतसुते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक) + सुता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; ‘पर्वतस्य सुता’

• सर्वम्: all (of it)
• सर्वम्: Apposition (Samanadhikarana/समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘समस्तम्’

• केशेषु: in the hair
• केशेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तिष्ठति: remains; stays
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somanātha environs) — keśa-prāyaścitta doctrine

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (Parvata-sutā)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic scene: Śiva speaking to Pārvatī, gesturing toward a devotee undergoing tonsure; the devotee appears weary from worldly toil, yet hopeful; hair is shown as the symbolic seat of impurity being removed.

Characters & Entities

• Parvata-sutā (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even sins born of worldly pressure can be released through sincere purification and symbolic renunciation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the Prabhāsa/Somanātha rite-context rather than naming a new tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It provides the rationale for vapana (shaving): hair is treated as the carrier of accumulated impurity.