Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

तत्र गत्वा महादेवि गुफां यः पश्यते नरः । स मुक्तः सर्वपापेभ्यश्चांद्रायणफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

tatra gatvā mahādevi guphāṃ yaḥ paśyate naraḥ | sa muktaḥ sarvapāpebhyaścāṃdrāyaṇaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

Having gone there, O great Goddess, whoever beholds that cave is freed from all sins and gains merit equal to the Cāndrāyaṇa observance.

Word by Word

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• gatvā: having gone
• gatvā: Kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: gam (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-devī (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• guphām: the cave
• guphām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guphā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• paśyate: sees
• paśyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु; पश्य-आदेश)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अन्वय-प्रदर्शक (correlative)

• muktaḥ: freed; liberated
• muktaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: muc (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सः)

• sarvapāpebhyaḥ: from all sins
• sarvapāpebhyaḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva-pāpa (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + पाप)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), बहुवचन; अपादान (ablative: 'from')

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• āṃdrāyaṇaphalam: the fruit of the Cāndrāyaṇa (vow)
• āṃdrāyaṇaphalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāndrāyaṇa-phala (प्रातिपदिक; चान्द्रायण + फल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nandinī-guhā

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim approaches a sacred cave mouth near the Prabhāsa coast; the cave interior glows with a subtle linga-like radiance, suggesting sin-dissolution and vow-merit.

Characters & Entities

• Guphā (sacred cave)
• Cāndrāyaṇa (vrata)
• Mahādevī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa teaches that sincere pilgrimage and darśana at a sanctified site can confer the same merit as rigorous vows when done with faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sacred cave (guphā) located in Prabhāsakṣetra, associated with ṛṣis and siddhas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Going to the site and taking darśana of the cave; the reward is stated as equivalent to the Cāndrāyaṇa vow.