Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

स्नानमाचरते सम्यक्स यातु परमां गतिम् । पातालादवतीर्णं तं लिंगरूपं महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

snānamācarate samyaksa yātu paramāṃ gatim | pātālādavatīrṇaṃ taṃ liṃgarūpaṃ maheśvaram

Translation

വിധിപൂർവ്വം സ്നാനം ആചരിക്കുന്നവൻ പരമഗതിയെ പ്രാപിക്കും. പാതാളത്തിൽ നിന്ന് അവതീർണ്ണനായ ആ മഹേശ്വരൻ ഇവിടെ ലിംഗരൂപത്തിൽ വിരാജിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• स्नानम्: bath, ritual bathing
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• आचरते: practices, performs
• आचरते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ√चर् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• सम्यक्: properly, correctly
• सम्यक्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

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

• यातु: may (he) go, let (him) attain
• यातु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative/benedictive sense), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• परमाम्: supreme
• परमाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (गति-विशेषण)

• गतिम्: state, goal, liberation
• गतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पातालात्: from Pātāla (netherworld)
• पातालात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• अवतीर्णम्: descended
• अवतीर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अव√तॄ (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तं/लिङ्गरूपम् इत्यस्य विशेषण

• तम्: that (one), him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लिङ्गरूपम्: the form of the liṅga
• लिङ्गरूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लिङ्गस्य रूपम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महेश्वरम्: Mahēśvara (Śiva)
• महेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Hāṭakeśvara/Agastya-āśrama vicinity)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutors/pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathing reverently at a sacred water spot in Prabhāsa, then turning toward a Śiva-liṅga shrine; a subtle underworld-to-earth emergence motif suggests the liṅga’s descent from Pātāla.

Characters & Entities

• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Liṅga
• Pātāla
• Hāṭakeśvara
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Proper tīrtha-snān and recognition of Śiva’s presence lead toward the highest spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra—Hāṭakeśvara’s vicinity, where the liṅga-form of Maheśvara is praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Samyak-snān (ritually correct bathing) at the sacred spot.