Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

यत्र चार्कस्थलो देवः सर्वसिद्धिप्रदायकः । तत्सान्निध्यस्थितं देवि पातालविवरं महत्

Transliteration

yatra cārkasthalo devaḥ sarvasiddhipradāyakaḥ | tatsānnidhyasthitaṃ devi pātālavivaraṃ mahat

Translation

അവിടെ സർവ്വസിദ്ധികളും നൽകുന്ന ദിവ്യമായ അർക്കസ്ഥല ദേവൻ ഉണ്ട്; ഹേ ദേവീ, ആ സാന്നിധ്യത്തിൽ തന്നെയാണ് പാതാളത്തിലേക്കുള്ള മഹാവിവരം സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നത്.

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक-सम्बन्धबोधक), relative adverb "where"

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• अर्कस्थलः: the place of the Sun (Arkasthala)
• अर्कस्थलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क-स्थल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अर्कस्य स्थलम्)

• देवः: the deity
• देवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सर्वसिद्धिप्रदायकः: giver of all attainments
• सर्वसिद्धिप्रदायकः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-सिद्धि-प्रदायक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वासां सिद्धीनां प्रदायकः)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• सान्निध्यस्थितम्: situated in (its) proximity
• सान्निध्यस्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सान्निध्य-स्थित (प्रातिपदिक; स्थित = कृदन्त from √स्था)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) from √स्था (स्था धातु), तत्पुरुषः (सान्निध्ये स्थितम्)

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

• पातालविवरम्: a chasm of the netherworld
• पातालविवरम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल-विवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पातालस्य विवरम्)

• महत्: great, vast
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator (addressing Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arkasthala (within Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant Sun-deity shrine (Arkasthala) stands near a vast dark chasm leading to the netherworld; the deity’s aura sanctifies and restrains the abyss.

Characters & Entities

• Arkasthala
• Sūrya
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true kṣetra is a meeting-point of worlds—granting siddhi while revealing the deeper cosmic layers beneath ordinary sight.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arkasthala within Prabhāsakṣetra, praised as sarva-siddhi-pradāyaka (giver of all attainments).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse identifies Arkasthala’s power and the nearby pātāla-opening.