Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

पापघ्नं सर्वजंतूनां दर्शनात्स्पर्शनादपि । आद्यं लिंगं महादेवि गायत्र्या संप्रतिष्ठितम्

Transliteration

pāpaghnaṃ sarvajaṃtūnāṃ darśanātsparśanādapi | ādyaṃ liṃgaṃ mahādevi gāyatryā saṃpratiṣṭhitam

Translation

ഹേ മഹാദേവി, ഈ ലിംഗം സർവ്വജീവികളുടെ പാപങ്ങളെ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു—ദർശനം കൊണ്ടും സ്പർശം കൊണ്ടും പോലും. ഇത് ആദി ലിംഗമാണ്; ഗായത്രീദേവി ഇവിടെ ഇതിനെ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• पापघ्नम्: sin-destroying
• पापघ्नम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + घ्न (√हन् धातु, घ्न-प्रत्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण; ‘पापं हन्ति’

• सर्वजन्तूनाम्: of all beings
• सर्वजन्तूनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; बहुवचन; ‘सर्वेषां जन्तूनाम्’

• दर्शनात्: from (mere) seeing
• दर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

• स्पर्शनात्: from touching
• स्पर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; हेतौ

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि-शब्दः (also/even)

• आद्यम्: the first
• आद्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन

• गायत्र्या: by Gāyatrī
• गायत्र्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गायत्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; करण/कर्तृ-निर्देशः (by Gayatrī)

• संप्रतिष्ठितम्: established
• संप्रतिष्ठितम्: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् (उपसर्ग) + प्र (उपसर्ग) + √स्था (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; (agreeing with लिङ्गम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from adjoining context in this prasaṅga)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ādya-liṅga (Gayatrī-pratiṣṭhita) / Pāpaghnaliṅga

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant ancient liṅga emanates light; pilgrims gain purification by merely seeing or touching; a subtle presence of Goddess Gayatrī (five-faced or as a luminous mantra-form) is shown as the establisher.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī
• Gāyatrī
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places and consecrated liṅgas transmit pāpa-kṣaya (sin-destruction) even through simple, sincere contact such as darśana and sparśa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, in the context of Brahmakuṇḍa and the Gāyatrīśvara/primordial liṅga tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No detailed ritual is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes the efficacy of darśana (seeing) and sparśa (touching) of the liṅga.