Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

इति व्रतं महादेवि त्रेतासंध्यांशके गते । गन्धर्वस्यैवमाख्यातं श्रुतं पातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

iti vrataṃ mahādevi tretāsaṃdhyāṃśake gate | gandharvasyaivamākhyātaṃ śrutaṃ pātakanāśanam

Translation

So, o Mahādevī, als der Anteil der Dämmerung des Tretā-Yuga vergangen war, wurde dieses Gelübde (Vrata) vom Gandharva so verkündet; es zu hören vernichtet die Sünden.

Word by Word

• इति: thus; so; 'iti' (end-quote)
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker/इत्युक्ति-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (quotative particle/इत्यर्थक-निपात)

• व्रतम्: vow; observance
• व्रतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• महादेवि: O Mahādevī
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Vocative, Singular)

• त्रेता-सन्ध्या-अंशके: in the portion of the Tretā-sandhyā (twilight of the Tretā age)
• त्रेता-सन्ध्या-अंशके: Adhikarana (Location/Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्ध्या (प्रातिपदिक) + अंशक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (अंशक-शब्द), सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Locative, Singular); समासः—षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (त्रेतायाः सन्ध्यायाः अंशके)

• गते: when (it) had passed; having gone
• गते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) → गत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), सप्तमी एकवचन, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Locative Singular); ‘गते (सति)’—सप्तमी-सम्बन्ध (locative absolute)

• गन्धर्वस्य: of the Gandharva
• गन्धर्वस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Singular)

• एवम्: thus; in this manner
• एवम्: Visheshana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/प्रकारवाचक)

• आख्यातम्: told; narrated
• आख्यातम्: Karma (Predicative/object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-ख्या (धातु) → आख्यात (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter Nom./Acc. Singular)

• श्रुतम्: heard
• श्रुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) → श्रुत (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter Nom./Acc. Singular)

• पातक-नाशनम्: sin-destroying; remover of sins
• पातक-नाशनम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter Nom./Acc. Singular); समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पातकस्य नाशनम्)

Speaker

Gandharva (narrator, addressing Devī/Parvatī as implied by 'mahādevi')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vimaleśvara / Gandharvaseneśvara vow-context within Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Devī/Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage-like Gandharva proclaims the vow in an ancient twilight age; listeners sit in reverent attention; the scene fades into a calm conclusion, suggesting that mere hearing purifies.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī
• Tretā-yuga
• Gandharva
• Vrata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devout hearing) of tīrtha-vrata teachings is itself a purifying act, credited with destroying sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is Prabhāsakṣetra; this verse functions as a concluding merit-statement for the narrated vrata.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new ritual is added; the emphasis is on the merit of hearing the account of the vrata.