Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

रैवतेश्वरमित्युक्तं सर्वपातक नाशनम् । दर्शनादेव सर्वेषां देहिनां द्विजसत्तमाः

Transliteration

raivateśvaramityuktaṃ sarvapātaka nāśanam | darśanādeva sarveṣāṃ dehināṃ dvijasattamāḥ

Translation

ഇത് ‘റൈവതേശ്വരം’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധം, സർവ്വപാപനാശകം. ഹേ ദ്വിജോത്തമന്മാരേ, ഇതിന്റെ ദർശനമാത്രത്താൽ എല്ലാ ദേഹധാരികളുടെയും ദോഷങ്ങൾ നശിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• रैवतेश्वरम्: (the place/deity) Raivateśvara
• रैवतेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रैवतेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; रैवत + ईश्वर)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (रैवतस्य ईश्वरः)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यादि-प्रयोगे अव्ययम् (quotative particle)

• उक्तम्: is called/said
• उक्तम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘said/called’

• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्वपातकनाशन (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + पातक + नाशन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सर्वेषां पातकानां नाशनम्)

• दर्शनात्: from (its) sight; by seeing
• दर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे (ablative of cause)

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-शब्द

• देहिनाम्: of embodied beings
• देहिनाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; ‘देहवत्’

• द्विजसत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजसत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजसत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; द्विज + सत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; संबोधनार्थे प्रयुक्तः (vocative sense)

Speaker

Sūta (tīrthamāhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Raivateśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijasattamāḥ (brāhmaṇa audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene Śiva shrine named Raivateśvara; pilgrims approach with folded hands; the liṅga radiates a quiet, purifying aura as the narrator addresses ‘dvijasattamāḥ’.

Characters & Entities

• Raivateśvara
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places and their presiding forms of Śiva transmit grace: even darśana is taught as spiritually purifying and sin-destroying.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Raivateśvara (the Śiva-liṅga) in the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra is explicitly glorified.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (reverential viewing/visitation) itself is presented as the key act yielding pāpa-nāśana (destruction of sins).