Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

धनुषां पंचके देवि स्थितं पातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

dhanuṣāṃ paṃcake devi sthitaṃ pātakanāśanam

Translation

يا إلهة، إنّه قائمٌ على بُعد خمسة «دهنوش» (أطوال قوس)، وهو مُزيلٌ للآثام.

Word by Word

• dhanuṣām: of bows (as a measure)
• dhanuṣām: Sambandha (Measure relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (Genitive); बहुवचन

• paṃcake: in a set of five
• paṃcake: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃcaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन

• sthitam: situated
• sthitam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रियाविशेष)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

• pātakanāśanam: destroyer of sins
• pātakanāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pātaka-nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—‘पातकस्य नाशनम्’

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśvakarmēśvara vicinity (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim path within Prabhāsa marked by a short measured distance; a small shrine or liṅga ahead, with the sea-breeze and temple flags; the sense that ‘even here’ sins fall away.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Viśvakarmā-pratiṣṭhita Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa ties measurable geography to spiritual efficacy, presenting the site as both locatable and sin-destroying.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The Viśvakarmā-installed Liṅga (described as pātakanāśana) in the Mokṣasvāmi northern vicinity within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated here; the verse provides a distance marker and the promised benefit of sin-destruction.