Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

दुन्नको यत्र भीमेन भुक्त्वा त्यक्तः पुरा प्रिये । तत्रैव विवरं दिव्यं महा पातालमार्गदम्

Transliteration

dunnako yatra bhīmena bhuktvā tyaktaḥ purā priye | tatraiva vivaraṃ divyaṃ mahā pātālamārgadam

Translation

Ô bien-aimée, c’est le lieu où jadis Dunnaka fut dévoré par Bhīma puis rejeté. Là même se trouve une ouverture divine qui donne accès au grand Pātāla, le monde d’en bas.

Word by Word

• दुन्नकः: Dunnaka (a person)
• दुन्नकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुन्नक (प्रातिपदिक; व्यक्तिनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• भीमेन: by Bhīma
• भीमेन: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — instrumental singular

• भुक्त्वा: having eaten/enjoyed
• भुक्त्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु) → भुक्त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive) — having eaten/enjoyed

• त्यक्तः: was abandoned
• त्यक्तः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु) → त्यक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — past passive participle; masculine nom sg

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: formerly)

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — vocative singular (as address)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis)

• विवरम्: a cavern/opening
• विवरम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — neuter nominative singular

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — neuter nominative singular; विशेषणम्

• महा: great
• महा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद-रूप (महा-); विशेषणम् — adjectival prefix ‘great’

• पातालमार्गदम्: giving a path to the netherworld
• पातालमार्गदम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाताल + मार्गद (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषः/उपपद: पातालाय मार्गदः ‘giver of a path to Pātāla’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — neuter nominative singular; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dunnaka-sthāna / Pātāla-vivara

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic sacred spot: Bhīma’s colossal figure in the background of legend, and in the present a glowing fissure/cave-mouth in the earth, ringed by small liṅgas and awed pilgrims.

Characters & Entities

• Bhīma
• Dunnaka
• Pātāla
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrthas preserve memory of epic events; the landscape becomes a living scripture where myth and place mutually authenticate sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dunnāville/Dunnaka-associated spot featuring a divine cavern described as a gateway toward Pātāla.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse provides mythic identification of the site and its extraordinary feature.