Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

बभूव तेषां प्रत्यक्ष ऋषीणां पापनाशनः । उवाच प्रणतान्सर्वान्किं वा कार्यं हृदि स्थितम्

Transliteration

babhūva teṣāṃ pratyakṣa ṛṣīṇāṃ pāpanāśanaḥ | uvāca praṇatānsarvānkiṃ vā kāryaṃ hṛdi sthitam

Translation

灭罪者在那些仙人面前亲自显现。祂对一切俯伏礼拜者说道：“你们心中所怀的愿求是什么？”

Word by Word

• बभूव: became/appeared
• बभूव: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तेषाम्: to/for them; of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• प्रत्यक्षः: visible, directly present
• प्रत्यक्षः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रत्यक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying पापनाशनः)

• ऋषीणाम्: of the sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पापनाशनः: destroyer of sin
• पापनाशनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पापस्य नाशनः = destroyer of sin)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रणतान्: bowed down
• प्रणतान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + नम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle: प्रणत), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying सर्वान्)

• सर्वान्: all (of them)
• सर्वान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन; (उवाच इत्यस्य कर्म)

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक-निपात (or/indeed)

• कार्यम्: task/matter
• कार्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हृदि: in the heart
• हृदि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• स्थितम्: situated/lying
• स्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle: स्थित), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying कार्यम्)

Speaker

Hari/Ādinārāyaṇa (implied by context; the sin-destroying Lord addressing the sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the Prabhāsa shore/kshetra, a circle of austere sages behold the sudden, luminous manifestation of the sin-destroying Lord, who gently questions their heart’s intent as they bow.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Pāpanāśana (the Lord as destroyer of sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine darśana follows sincere devotion; the Lord invites the devotee’s intention and responds compassionately.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra is implied as the sacred locale where the Lord becomes directly manifest to sages.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the scene emphasizes praṇāma (bowing) and devotional approach to the Lord.