Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

एकार्णवं जगदिदं ब्रह्मापश्यदशेषतः । तस्मिन्वसुमती मग्ना पातालतलमागता

Transliteration

ekārṇavaṃ jagadidaṃ brahmāpaśyadaśeṣataḥ | tasminvasumatī magnā pātālatalamāgatā

Translation

Brahmā erblickte diese ganze Welt als einen einzigen Ozean. In jener Flut sank die Erde (Vasumatī) hinab und gelangte zu den Ebenen von Pātāla.

Word by Word

• ekārṇavam: as one ocean; a single flood
• ekārṇavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka + arṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter, accusative, singular; adjective)

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (neuter, nominative, singular)

• idam: this
• idam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषणम् (neuter, nominative, singular; pronominal adjective)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative, singular)

• apaśyat: saw
• apaśyat: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (imperfect, parasmaipada, 3rd person singular)

• aśeṣataḥ: entirely; without remainder
• aśeṣataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (indeclinable; adverb)

• tasmin: in that (ocean)
• tasmin: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (locative singular; pronoun)

• vasumatī: the Earth
• vasumatī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasumatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (feminine, nominative, singular)

• magnā: submerged
• magnā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: maj (धातु) + magna (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (past participle, feminine, nominative, singular; adjective)

• pātāla-talam: the floor/region of Pātāla (netherworld)
• pātāla-talam: Gati-karma (Goal/Object of motion/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, accusative, singular)

• āgatā: had gone/come (reached)
• āgatā: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + gam (धातु) + āgata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; गत्यर्थे (past participle used predicatively; feminine nominative singular)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kardamālā (etiological frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā witnesses the world as a single ocean; the Earth-goddess sinks downward into Pātāla realms beneath the waters.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Vasumatī (Bhūmi)
• Pātāla
• Ekārṇava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine order restores the world even after total collapse; sacred narratives ground tīrtha-mahātmya in cosmic rescue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa-region tīrtha tradition is being prepared through the Varāha rescue backdrop.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it narrates the descent of Earth to Pātāla.