Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

एतत्ते कथितं देवि माहात्म्यं पापनाशनम् । बलातिबलनाशिन्या देव्या सर्वार्थसाधकम् । प्रभासक्षेत्रसंस्थायाः संक्षेपात्कीर्तिवर्धनम्

Transliteration

etatte kathitaṃ devi māhātmyaṃ pāpanāśanam | balātibalanāśinyā devyā sarvārthasādhakam | prabhāsakṣetrasaṃsthāyāḥ saṃkṣepātkīrtivardhanam

Translation

ഹേ ദേവീ, പാപനാശകമായ ഈ മഹാത്മ്യം നിനക്കു പറഞ്ഞു—ബലാതിബലനാശിനിയായ ദേവിയുടെ, എല്ലാഭിലാഷങ്ങളും സിദ്ധിപ്പിക്കുന്നതു. പ്രഭാസക്ഷേത്രത്തിൽ സ്ഥാപിതയായ ദേവിയുടെ ഈ സംക്ഷിപ്ത വിവരണം കീർത്തി വർധിപ്പിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सन्दर्भवाचक (this)

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे/सम्बन्धे (to you/your)

• कथितम्: has been narrated
• कथितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) → कथित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (it has been told)

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

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness (glory)
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; एतत्-विशेष्य

• पापनाशनम्: destroyer of sins
• पापनाशनम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (pāpānāṃ nāśanam)

• बलातिबलनाशिन्या: by the destroyer of Bala and Atibala
• बलातिबलनाशिन्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बल + अतिबल + नाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (balātibalayoḥ nāśinī)

• देव्या: by the Goddess
• देव्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; अपादान/करणार्थे सहप्रयोगः

• सर्वार्थसाधकम्: accomplisher of all aims
• सर्वार्थसाधकम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + अर्थ + साधक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (sarveṣām arthānāṃ sādhakam)

• प्रभासक्षेत्रसंस्थायाः: of the establishment in Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• प्रभासक्षेत्रसंस्थायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास + क्षेत्र + संस्था (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (prabhāsa-kṣetre saṃsthā)

• संक्षेपात्: briefly / in summary
• संक्षेपात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संक्षेप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेतौ/कारणे (from/briefly)

• कीर्तिवर्धनम्: increaser of fame
• कीर्तिवर्धनम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीर्ति + वर्धन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kīrteḥ vardhanam)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsakṣetra (Devī established there)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Closing scene: a sage/narrator addressing the Goddess, presenting a concise māhātmya; behind them the Prabhāsa shrine glows; the Devī ‘Balātibalanāśinī’ is envisioned as protective, radiant, granting boons and cleansing sin.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Balātibala (Daitya)
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hearing and remembering the Māhātmya of the Prabhāsa-residing Goddess is presented as sin-destroying and goal-fulfilling (sarvārtha-sādhaka).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra—the sacred region of Prabhāsa—is explicitly named as the seat of the praised Devī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A phalaśruti-style injunction: to hear/recite the Māhātmya, which itself is treated as a meritorious act yielding purification and success.