Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26
ब्रह्मोवाच । यदि पापजनाकीर्णं न वांछसि धरातलम् । पातालतलसंस्था त्वं नय वह्निं महोदधौ
brahmovāca | yadi pāpajanākīrṇaṃ na vāṃchasi dharātalam | pātālatalasaṃsthā tvaṃ naya vahniṃ mahodadhau
Brahmā dit : «Si tu ne souhaites pas que la surface de la terre soit encombrée de gens pécheurs, demeure dans Pātāla et mène ce feu jusqu’au grand océan».
Brahmā
Tirtha: Prabhāsa (sea-shore tīrtha) / Mahodadhi-snāna
Type: kshetra
Listener: A ‘daughter’ figure (personified feminine power/earth-related maiden in the episode)
Scene: Brahmā, serene and four-faced, instructs a personified feminine figure to descend to the nether regions and guide a blazing fire toward the vast ocean; the horizon shows a sacred coastline with ritual silhouettes.
FAQs
When the world becomes morally turbulent, dharma provides protected pathways—channeling dangerous forces away from society and preserving purity.
The Prabhāsakṣetra māhātmya frames the episode, tying the region’s sanctity to cosmic measures involving ocean and subterranean realms.
No ritual is prescribed; it is a cosmological directive: move the Vāḍava fire into the great ocean and reside in Pātāla levels.