Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि पुण्यमर्कस्थलं शुभम् । तस्मादाग्नेयकोणस्थं सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi puṇyamarkasthalaṃ śubham | tasmādāgneyakoṇasthaṃ sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹാദേവി! തുടർന്ന് ശുഭവും പുണ്യവും നിറഞ്ഞ അർക്കസ്ഥലത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം. അവിടെ നിന്ന് ആഗ്നേയ ദിക്കിലുള്ള ആ സ്ഥലം സർവ്വ പാതകങ്ങളും നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'then/from there')

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुण्यम्: holy, meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• अर्कस्थलम्: the place of Arka (Sun)
• अर्कस्थलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्क + स्थल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• तस्मात्: from there; thereafter
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक तद्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगवत्; अपादानार्थे (ablatival adverb: 'from there/thereafter')

• आग्नेयकोणस्थम्: situated in the south-east corner
• आग्नेयकोणस्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आग्नेय + कोण + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: destroyer of all sins
• सर्वपातकनाशनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पातक + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arka-sthala

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī/Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, as guide, instructs Devī on the route: a stylized sacred map shows Arka-sthala and an arrow to the south-eastern quarter where another sin-destroying spot lies; pilgrims walk with staffs and waterpots.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Arka-sthala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa maps liberation through sacred geography: moving from site to site is portrayed as a graded purification of karma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Arka-sthala (a sanctified ‘Sun-site’) within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction—“one should go” to Arka-sthala; additional rites are not specified in this verse.