Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

वातापिभक्षणेपूर्वमगस्त्येन महात्मना । दैत्यसंभक्षणोत्पन्नसर्वपातकशुद्धये । समाहूता महादेवि गंगापातकनाशिनी

Transliteration

vātāpibhakṣaṇepūrvamagastyena mahātmanā | daityasaṃbhakṣaṇotpannasarvapātakaśuddhaye | samāhūtā mahādevi gaṃgāpātakanāśinī

Translation

Avant que le magnanime Agastya ne dévorât Vātāpi, ô Grande Déesse, Gaṅgā, destructrice des péchés, fut invoquée afin de purifier toutes les fautes pouvant naître de l’ingestion d’un daitya.

Word by Word

• वातापि-भक्षणे: in/at the eating of Vātāpi
• वातापि-भक्षणे: Adhikarana (Time/occasion locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वातापि (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—वातापेः भक्षणम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• पूर्वम्: before
• पूर्वम्: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘पूर्वम्’ = before

• अगस्त्येन: by Agastya
• अगस्त्येन: Kartr/Agent-instrument (कर्ता/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• महात्मना: by the great-souled (one)
• महात्मना: Kartr/Agent qualifier (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अगस्त्यस्य)

• दैत्य-सम्भक्षण-उत्पन्न-सर्वपातक-शुद्धये: for the purification of all sins arising from eating the demon
• दैत्य-सम्भक्षण-उत्पन्न-सर्वपातक-शुद्धये: Sampradana/Purpose (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य + सम्भक्षण + उत्पन्न + सर्व + पातक + शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—दैत्यसम्भक्षणात् उत्पन्नानां सर्वपातकानां शुद्धये (for purification of all sins arisen from eating a demon)

• समाहूता: was summoned
• समाहूता: Karta (of passive predicate)/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + हु (धातु) → समाहूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (Nom), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थः ‘was summoned/called’

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—महती देवी (कर्मधारय)

• गंगा-पातक-नाशिनी: Gaṅgā, destroyer of sins
• गंगा-पातक-नाशिनी: Karta qualifier (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गा + पातक + नाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (Nom), एकवचन; समासः—गङ्गा (नाम) + पातकनाशिनी (पातकस्य नाशिनी—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from dialogue frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgeśvara (purificatory locus)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (explicit: 'mahādevi')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya prepares to consume Vātāpi; before the act he invokes Gaṅgā. Gaṅgā appears, radiant, with a stream of sacred water; the atmosphere is solemn, emphasizing purification before a perilous deed.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Vātāpi
• Gaṅgā
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even extraordinary acts require śuddhi (purification); dharma emphasizes expiation and sacred cleansing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting prepares the glory of Gaṅgeśvara and the Gaṅgā-associated sanctity near Agastya’s āśrama in Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Invoking Gaṅgā for pātaka-śuddhi—purification from sins—especially connected with contact/consumption-related impurity.