Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

पापघ्नं सर्वजंतूनां दर्शनात्स्पर्शनादपि । तत्र कश्चिच्छुकः पूर्वं नीडं देवि चकार ह

Transliteration

pāpaghnaṃ sarvajaṃtūnāṃ darśanātsparśanādapi | tatra kaścicchukaḥ pūrvaṃ nīḍaṃ devi cakāra ha

Translation

Ce lieu anéantit le péché de tous les êtres, ne fût-ce qu’en le voyant ou en le touchant. Là, ô Déesse, jadis un certain perroquet fit son nid.

Word by Word

• pāpaghnam: sin-destroying
• pāpaghnam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa-ghna (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + घ्न)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (देवम्/स्थानम् प्रति)

• sarvajantūnām: of all creatures
• sarvajantūnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva-jantu (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + जन्तु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• darśanāt: from seeing
• darśanāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ/अपादान (cause: 'from/by')

• sparśanāt: from touching
• sparśanāt: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sparśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतौ/अपादान

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• kaścit: a certain
• kaścit: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaścit (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक विशेषण (indefinite)

• śukaḥ: parrot
• śukaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

• pūrvam: formerly
• pūrvam: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (अव्यय/नपुंसक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (formerly/before)

• nīḍam: nest
• nīḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन

• cakāra: made
• cakāra: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ha: indeed/it is said
• ha: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्मरण/वृत्तान्तसूचक निपात (narrative particle)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant coastal kṣetra-temple precinct at Prabhāsa; pilgrims at a distance merely beholding the shrine while a green parrot begins to weave a nest in a high niche, suggesting even animals are drawn into the tīrtha’s field of merit.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśvānareśvara (implied)
• Darśana
• Sparśana
• Śuka (parrot)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true tīrtha radiates grace so widely that even simple contact—seeing or touching—purifies all beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vaiśvānareśvara of Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is required here; the verse emphasizes the efficacy of darśana and sparśana.