Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । तस्यैव दक्षिणे देवि तस्माद्गव्यूतिमात्रतः । पातालगामिनी गंगा संस्थिता पापनाशिनी

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tasyaiva dakṣiṇe devi tasmādgavyūtimātrataḥ | pātālagāminī gaṃgā saṃsthitā pāpanāśinī

Translation

ພຣະອີສະວະຣະກ່າວວ່າ: ໂອ ເທວີ, ທາງໃຕ້ຂອງສະຖານທີ່ນັ້ນ ໃນລະຍະຫ່າງພຽງແຕ່ 1 ກະວະຍູຕິ, ພຣະຄົງຄາຜູ້ໄຫຼລົງສູ່ປາຕາລະ ໄດ້ສະຖິດຢູ່ທີ່ນັ້ນ ເປັນຜູ້ທຳລາຍບາບ।

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तस्य: of that (place)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय

• दक्षिणे: to the south (in the southern side)
• दक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: from that (place)
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• गव्यूति: a gavyūti (a measure of distance)
• गव्यूति: Visheshana (Measure qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गव्यूति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष-समासे पूर्वपद-रूप (as measure-unit stem), अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (measure)

• मात्रतः: by mere measure; only as much as
• मात्रतः: Adverbial (Extent/परिमाण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मात्र (प्रातिपदिक) + तस् (तद्धित-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तद्धितान्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb), अर्थः = 'मात्रेण/परिमाणतः'

• पातालगामिनी: going to the netherworld (Pātāla)
• पातालगामिनी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाताल + गामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (गङ्गायाः)

• गङ्गा: the river Gaṅgā
• गङ्गा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• संस्थिता: is situated/has settled
• संस्थिता: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; अर्थः = 'स्थितवती/स्थित'

• पापनाशिनी: destroyer of sins
• पापनाशिनी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + नाशिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (गङ्गायाः)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pātālagāminī Gaṅgā (Prabhāsa)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara points southward from the Bālārka shrine; a luminous ribbon of water emerges and descends into a dark, cavern-like opening symbolizing Pātāla; pilgrims gather with waterpots; the river glows with a celestial sheen.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Gaṅgā
• Pātāla
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is itself salvific: proximity to a tīrtha like Pātāla Gaṅgā is portrayed as a means for pāpa-kṣaya (destruction of sin).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pātāla Gaṅgā at Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, tīrtha-sevā such as visiting and bathing is suggested by describing the sin-destroying Gaṅgā, though bathing is stated explicitly in the next verse.