Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

रघुवंशसमुद्भूतो ह्यजापालो नृपोत्तमः । स तत्र देवीमाराध्य पापरोगवशंकरीम्

Transliteration

raghuvaṃśasamudbhūto hyajāpālo nṛpottamaḥ | sa tatra devīmārādhya pāparogavaśaṃkarīm

Translation

രഘുവംശത്തിൽ ജനിച്ച അജാപാലൻ എന്ന ഉത്തമരാജാവ് അവിടെ പാപവും രോഗവും ഉള്ള പ്രഭാവം ശമിപ്പിക്കുന്ന ദേവിയെ ഭക്തിയോടെ ആരാധിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• रघुवंशसमुद्भूतः: born from the Raghu dynasty
• रघुवंशसमुद्भूतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रघु-वंश-समुद्भूत (प्रातिपदिक; सम्+उद्+√भू (धातु) क्त-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (past passive participle)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; अर्थे—खलु/नूनम् (indeed)

• अजापालः: Ajāpāla (goat-herd/one named Ajāpāla)
• अजापालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अजापाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अजानां पालः)

• नृप-उत्तमः: the best of kings
• नृप-उत्तमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (श्रेष्ठः नृपः)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• देवीम्: the goddess
• देवीम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• आराध्य: having worshipped
• आराध्य: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-√राध् (धातु) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); अर्थ—‘आराधनं कृत्वा’ (having worshipped)

• पापरोगवशंकरīm: (the goddess) who subdues sinful diseases
• पापरोगवशंकरīm: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप-रोग-वशंकरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (पापरोगाणां वशंकरि—वशीकर्त्री)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continued narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ajāpāleśvarī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Raghu-lineage king, Ajāpāla, performs Devī ārādhana at a shrine; offerings of flowers, incense, lamps; the Devī’s presence is protective, subduing shadowy personifications of sin and disease.

Characters & Entities

• Ajāpāla
• Raghuvaṃśa
• Devī (Ajāpāleśvarī)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship (ārādhana) is portrayed as a force that overcomes both moral impurity (pāpa) and embodied suffering (roga).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The shrine of the Goddess Ajāpāleśvarī in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship/propitiation of the Goddess (devīm ārādhya) at the site.