Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

पापघ्नं सर्वजंतूनां दर्शनात्स्पर्शनादपि । तत्र कश्चिच्छुकः पूर्वं नीडं देवि चकार ह

Transliteration

pāpaghnaṃ sarvajaṃtūnāṃ darśanātsparśanādapi | tatra kaścicchukaḥ pūrvaṃ nīḍaṃ devi cakāra ha

Translation

এটি সকল জীবের পাপ নাশ করে—শুধু দর্শন বা স্পর্শ করিলেও। হে দেবী, সেখানে পূর্বে এক শুক (টিয়া) নীড় নির্মাণ করিয়াছিল।

Word by Word

• pāpaghnam: sin-destroying
• pāpaghnam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa-ghna (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + घ्न)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (देवम्/स्थानम् प्रति)

• sarvajantūnām: of all creatures
• sarvajantūnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva-jantu (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + जन्तु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• darśanāt: from seeing
• darśanāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ/अपादान (cause: 'from/by')

• sparśanāt: from touching
• sparśanāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sparśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ/अपादान

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• kaścit: a certain
• kaścit: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaścit (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक विशेषण (indefinite)

• śukaḥ: parrot
• śukaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

• pūrvam: formerly
• pūrvam: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (अव्यय/नपुंसक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (formerly/before)

• nīḍam: nest
• nīḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

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

• cakāra: made
• cakāra: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ha: indeed/it is said
• ha: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्मरण/वृत्तान्तसूचक निपात (narrative particle)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant coastal kṣetra-temple precinct at Prabhāsa; pilgrims at a distance merely beholding the shrine while a green parrot begins to weave a nest in a high niche, suggesting even animals are drawn into the tīrtha’s field of merit.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśvānareśvara (implied)
• Darśana
• Sparśana
• Śuka (parrot)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true tīrtha radiates grace so widely that even simple contact—seeing or touching—purifies all beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vaiśvānareśvara of Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is required here; the verse emphasizes the efficacy of darśana and sparśana.