Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

अगस्त्यस्याऽश्रमे रम्ये नृणां पापभयापहे । तत्र गंगेश्वरं दृष्ट्वा अभक्ष्योद्भवपातकात् । मुच्यते नात्र संदेहः स्नानदानजपादिना

Transliteration

agastyasyā'śrame ramye nṛṇāṃ pāpabhayāpahe | tatra gaṃgeśvaraṃ dṛṣṭvā abhakṣyodbhavapātakāt | mucyate nātra saṃdehaḥ snānadānajapādinā

Translation

അഗസ്ത്യന്റെ മനോഹര ആശ്രമത്തിൽ, മനുഷ്യരുടെ പാപഭയം അകറ്റുന്നതായ അവിടെ, ഗംഗേശ്വരനെ ദർശിച്ചാൽ നിരോധിത ആഹാരത്തിൽ നിന്നുണ്ടായ പാപത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മോചനം ലഭിക്കുന്നു—ഇതിൽ സംശയമില്ല; പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് സ്നാനം, ദാനം, ജപം മുതലായവയാൽ।

Word by Word

• अगस्त्यस्य: of Agastya
• अगस्त्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचन

• आश्रमे: in the hermitage
• आश्रमे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन

• रम्ये: pleasant/beautiful
• रम्ये: Adhikarana qualifier
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (आश्रमे)

• नृणाम्: of men/people
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पाप-भय-अपहे: removing fear of sin
• पाप-भय-अपहे: Adhikarana qualifier (of आश्रम)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + भय + अपह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—पापभयम् अपहन्ति इति/अपहः (remover of fear of sin)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय

• गंगेश्वरम्: Gangeśvara
• गंगेश्वरम्: Karma (Object of seeing/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वा/gerund), ‘having seen’

• अभक्ष्य-उद्भव-पातकात्: from the sin arising from eating what is forbidden
• अभक्ष्य-उद्भव-पातकात्: Apadana (Source/अपा दान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभक्ष्य + उद्भव + पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—अभक्ष्यात् उद्भवम् पातकम् (sin arising from forbidden food)

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे—‘is released’

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• अत्र: here/in this matter
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय

• संदेहः: doubt
• संदेहः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संदेह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (Nom), एकवचन

• स्नान-दान-जप-आदिना: by (acts) such as bathing, charity, and recitation
• स्नान-दान-जप-आदिना: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान + दान + जप + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, तृतीया (Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—स्नानं दानं जपश्च (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व) + आदि; ‘by means such as bathing, giving, recitation’

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from dialogue frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgeśvara at Agastya-āśrama

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene hermitage-temple setting: Agastya’s āśrama with a Śiva-liṅga named Gaṅgeśvara; pilgrims approach after bathing, offering water, bilva leaves, and gifts; the atmosphere emphasizes release from guilt and fear.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Gaṅgeśvara
• Gaṅgā (implied by Gaṅgeśvara context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and devotion, joined with ethical repair through rites, can cleanse even serious transgressions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgeśvara at Agastya’s āśrama in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing), dāna (charity), and japa (recitation) are recommended alongside darśana of Gaṅgeśvara.