Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

एतत्ते कथितं देवि गंगामाहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । श्रुतं पापप्रशमनं सर्वकामफलप्रदम्

Transliteration

etatte kathitaṃ devi gaṃgāmāhātmyamuttamam | śrutaṃ pāpapraśamanaṃ sarvakāmaphalapradam

Translation

ഹേ ദേവീ! ഗംഗയുടെ പരമോത്തമമായ മഹാത്മ്യം ഞാൻ നിന്നോട് പറഞ്ഞു; ഇത് ശ്രവിച്ചാൽ പാപങ്ങൾ ശമിച്ച് എല്ലാ ധർമ്മസമ്മത ആഗ്രഹങ്ങളുടെ ഫലം ലഭിക്കും।

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; कर्मरूपेण (this [account])

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Dative/Genitive), एकवचनम्; ‘to you/for you’ अर्थे

• कथितम्: has been told
• कथितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि (has been told)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्

• गङ्गामाहात्म्यम्: the greatness of Gaṅgā
• गङ्गामाहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā + māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी)—‘गङ्गायाः माहात्म्यम्’

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• श्रुतम्: has been heard
• श्रुतम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि (has been heard)

• पापप्रशमनम्: sin-destroying
• पापप्रशमनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa + praśamana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः—‘पापस्य प्रशमनम्’ (sin-removing)

• सर्वकामफलप्रदम्: granting the fruits of all desires
• सर्वकामफलप्रदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + kāma + phala + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—‘सर्वेषां कामानां फलप्रदम्’

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (as tīrtha; localized near Saṅgāleśvara in chapter context)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara addresses Devī, concluding the Gaṅgā-māhātmya; the scene is intimate and didactic—divine couple seated, with a symbolic Gaṅgā stream or kalasha depicted nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Devī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Listening with faith to the māhātmya of a sacred tīrtha is itself a purifying act that yields both inner cleansing and dharmic fulfilment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā is praised within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra context, as part of the Gaṅgā-māhātmya associated with the Prabhāsa region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devout hearing) of the Gaṅgā-māhātmya is presented as the practice that removes sin and grants desired fruits.