Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

प्रतिष्ठितं दशास्येन सर्वपातकनाशनम् । पौलस्त्यो रावणो देवि राक्षसस्तु सुदारुणः

Transliteration

pratiṣṭhitaṃ daśāsyena sarvapātakanāśanam | paulastyo rāvaṇo devi rākṣasastu sudāruṇaḥ

Translation

Wahai Devī, penahbisan itu didirikan oleh Daśāsya (Rāvaṇa) sebagai pemusnah segala dosa. Rāvaṇa, keturunan Pulastya, sungguh rākṣasa yang amat ganas dan mengerikan.

Word by Word

• प्रतिष्ठितम्: established
• प्रतिष्ठितम्: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — ‘established’; agrees with implied ‘लिङ्गम्/देवालयम्’

• दशास्येन: by the ten-faced one (Rāvaṇa)
• दशास्येन: Karana/Karta (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दशास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन — Instrumental singular; bahuvrīhi ‘one having ten faces’ (Rāvaṇa)

• सर्व-पातक-नाशनम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्व-पातक-नाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पातक (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — ‘destroyer of all sins’; agrees with the established object

• पौलस्त्यः: the descendant of Pulastya
• पौलस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• रावणः: Rāvaṇa
• रावणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रावण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular (apposition to ‘पौलस्त्यः’)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Vocative singular

• राक्षसः: a demon
• राक्षसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात) — adversative/emphatic particle

• सुदारुणः: very fierce
• सुदारुणः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative singular; agrees with ‘राक्षसः’

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narration within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāvaṇeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Rāvaṇa (Daśāsya), fierce yet devout, installs a Śiva-liṅga at Prabhāsa; the liṅga radiates purifying light while attendants and sages witness the paradox of a terrible rākṣasa performing a sanctifying act.

Characters & Entities

• Daśāsya (Rāvaṇa)
• Pulastya
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even figures known for adharma appear within narratives that highlight the extraordinary sin-destroying potency of a sacred act or sacred place.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra (Prabhāsa), introduced in this section as a supremely purifying sacred region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; it alludes to an establishment/installation (pratiṣṭhā) connected with sin-destruction.