Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

अस्ति पुण्यं प्रसिद्धं च महापातकनाशनम् । भूतप्रेतपिशाचानां वेतालब्रह्म रक्षसाम्

Transliteration

asti puṇyaṃ prasiddhaṃ ca mahāpātakanāśanam | bhūtapretapiśācānāṃ vetālabrahma rakṣasām

Translation

Il est saint et renommé, destructeur des grands péchés — efficace contre les bhūtas, pretas, piśācas, vetālas et Brahmarākṣasas.

Word by Word

• asti: there is
• asti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• puṇyam: a holy merit / sacred (thing)
• puṇyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• prasiddham: well-known
• prasiddham: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prasiddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

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

• mahāpātakanāśanam: destroyer of great sins
• mahāpātakanāśanam: Samānādhikaraṇa (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-pātaka-nāśana (प्रातिपदिक; महा + पातक + नाशन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (महापातकस्य नाशनम्)

• bhūtapretapiśācānām: of bhūtas, pretas, and piśācas
• bhūtapretapiśācānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta-preta-piśāca (प्रातिपदिक; भूत + प्रेत + पिशाच)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (भूताः च प्रेताः च पिशाचाः च)

• vetālabrahmarakṣasām: of vetālas and brahmarākṣasas
• vetālabrahmarakṣasām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vetāla-brahma-rakṣasa (प्रातिपदिक; वेताल + ब्रह्मरक्षस)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (वेतालाः च ब्रह्मरक्षसाः च)

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pāpavināśana

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: vipra / afflicted party (continuation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The tīrtha radiates sanctity; dark beings—bhūtas, pretas, piśācas, vetālas, Brahmarākṣasas—recoil and dissolve at the edge of the holy waters; pilgrims bathe while priests chant; the scene conveys protective triumph through purity.

Characters & Entities

• Pāpavināśana-tīrtha (implied)
• Bhūta
• Preta
• Piśāca
• Vetāla
• Brahmarākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-mahātmya presents sacred places as both moral purifiers (sin-destroyers) and protectors from harmful forces.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The renowned Pāpavināśana-tīrtha in the Setu region (introduced immediately before).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse praises efficacy; the practical rite is bathing there, specified shortly after.