Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । तत्रैव संस्थिता देवि गुफा पातकनाशिनी । ऋषीणां संस्थितिर्यत्र सिद्धानां पुण्यचेतसाम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tatraiva saṃsthitā devi guphā pātakanāśinī | ṛṣīṇāṃ saṃsthitiryatra siddhānāṃ puṇyacetasām

Translation

Īśvara sprach: Eben dort, o Göttin, befindet sich eine Höhle, die Sünde vernichtet—dort ist die Wohnstatt der ṛṣi, und dort weilen die siddha mit geläutertem Geist.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tatraiva: right there
• tatraiva: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra + eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तत्र (adverb) + एव (emphatic particle)

• saṃsthitā: situated; established
• saṃsthitā: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ-sthā (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (गुफायाः)

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

• guphā: cave
• guphā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guphā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृस्थानी (वर्ण्य-वस्तु)

• pātakanāśinī: destroyer of sins
• pātakanāśinī: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pātaka-nāśinī (प्रातिपदिक; पातक + नाशिनी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (गुफायाः)

• ṛṣīṇām: of sages
• ṛṣīṇām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध (genitive)

• saṃsthitiḥ: abode; residence
• saṃsthitiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsthiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्तृस्थानी

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्धबोधक-स्थानवाचक (relative adverb: 'where')

• siddhānām: of Siddhas
• siddhānām: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• puṇyacetasām: of pure-minded (holy-hearted)
• puṇyacetasām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya-cetas (प्रातिपदिक; पुण्य + चेतस्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (सिद्धानाम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pātakanāśinī Gufā (descriptive name)

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred cave mouth glowing softly; inside, seated ṛṣis in meditation and luminous siddhas; the air feels purified. Śiva speaks to Devī, indicating the cave as ‘pātaka-nāśinī.’

Characters & Entities

• Guphā (sacred cave)
• Ṛṣi
• Siddha
• Pātaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are depicted as sanctified by the presence of ṛṣis and siddhas, making them powerful settings for purification and inner transformation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sin-destroying sacred cave (guphā) within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No detailed rite here; the verse establishes the cave’s sanctity and purificatory nature, preparing for the darśana instruction.