Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

पापघ्नं सर्वजंतूनां पातालविवरं महत्

Transliteration

pāpaghnaṃ sarvajaṃtūnāṃ pātālavivaraṃ mahat

Translation

അത് എല്ലാ ജീവികളുടെയും പാപങ്ങൾ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു; പാതാളത്തിലേക്കുള്ള മഹത്തായ ഒരു വിവരം കൂടിയാണ് അത്.

Word by Word

• pāpa-ghnam: sin-destroying
• pāpa-ghnam: Karma (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa + ghna (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘पापं हन्ति’ इति उपपद-तत्पुरुषः; विशेषणम् (pātālavivaram)

• sarva-jaṃtūnām: of all beings
• sarva-jaṃtūnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + jaṃtu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; ‘सर्वेषां जन्तूनाम्’

• pātāla-vivaram: a chasm/opening to the netherworld
• pātāla-vivaram: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla + vivara (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘पातालस्य विवरम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• mahat: great
• mahat: Karta (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (vivaram)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continuation from prior verse context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgasthāna (pātāla-vivara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic sacred hollow or fissure near converging waters, guarded by subtle Nāga imagery; pilgrims perform reverent rites as the ‘pātāla-vivara’ is hinted by darkness and depth.

Characters & Entities

• Pātāla
• Nāgasthāna (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tirtha is portrayed as universally purifying—its sanctity benefits all beings and removes accumulated sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nāgasthāna/Traisaṅgama context—described as a great pātāla-opening and sin-destroying place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated in this verse; it gives a phala/guṇa description (sin-destroying nature).