Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

पातालनिधि निक्षेपदिव्यौषधिरसायनम् । क्षेत्रमध्ये स्थितं सर्वं तदर्चनरतो लभेत्

Transliteration

pātālanidhi nikṣepadivyauṣadhirasāyanam | kṣetramadhye sthitaṃ sarvaṃ tadarcanarato labhet

Translation

Les dépôts des trésors de Pātāla, ainsi que les remèdes divins et les élixirs de rasāyana—tout cela demeure au sein de ce kṣetra sacré. Celui qui s’y adonne au culte en recueille les fruits et les grâces.

Word by Word

• पातालनिधि: treasure of Pātāla
• पातालनिधि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल + निधि (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पातालस्य निधिः)

• निक्षेपदिव्यौषधिरसायनम्: deposited divine medicines and elixirs
• निक्षेपदिव्यौषधिरसायनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निक्षेप + दिव्य + औषधि + रसायन (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषसमासः (निक्षेपः च दिव्यौषधिरसायनम् इव/सम्बद्धम्)

• क्षेत्रमध्ये: in the middle of the sacred field
• क्षेत्रमध्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र + मध्य (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षेत्रस्य मध्ये)

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: PPP/क्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• सर्वम्: all (of it)
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समस्तवाचक

• तद्: that
• तद्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; (अर्चनस्य) कर्म

• अर्चनरतः: one devoted to worship
• अर्चनरतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्चन + रत (प्रातिपदिके; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषभावः (अर्चने रतः)

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

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa kṣetra (pīṭha zone with pātāla-nidhi)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A worshipper offering flowers and lamps at the pīṭha while the earth beneath is shown as a cross-section: glowing gems (nidhi) and luminous herbs/elixirs (auṣadhi/rasāyana) radiate upward as blessings rather than mined objects.

Characters & Entities

• Pātāla
• Kṣetra (Prabhāsa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship in a sanctified kṣetra grants extraordinary ‘fruits’—symbolizing both worldly support and higher grace arising from sacred action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, described as containing wondrous, hidden, and divine resources within its bounds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana (devotional worship) is the stated means by which one ‘obtains’ the site’s promised benefits.