Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

एवं देवि तवाख्यातं माहात्म्यं वह्निदैवतम् । श्रुतं पापहरं नृणां सर्वकामफलप्रदम्

Transliteration

evaṃ devi tavākhyātaṃ māhātmyaṃ vahnidaivatam | śrutaṃ pāpaharaṃ nṛṇāṃ sarvakāmaphalapradam

Translation

ഹേ ദേവീ, ഇങ്ങനെ നിനക്കു അഗ്നിദേവതയുടെ മഹാത്മ്യം പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു; ഇത് ശ്രവിച്ചാൽ മനുഷ്യരുടെ പാപം അകറ്റി, എല്ലാ ആഗ്രഹങ്ങളുടെയും ഫലം നൽകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/vocative), एकवचन

• तव: to you / your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• आख्यातम्: has been narrated
• आख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + ख्या (धातु) → आख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘told/declared’

• माहात्म्यम्: the greatness (mahatmya)
• माहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वह्निदैवतम्: having Fire as the deity / pertaining to Agni
• वह्निदैवतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वह्नि + दैवत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वह्नेः दैवतं यस्य/वह्निदैवतं), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (माहात्म्यम्)

• श्रुतम्: heard
• श्रुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) → श्रुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘heard’

• पापहरम्: sin-removing
• पापहरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पापं हरति), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (श्रुतम्/माहात्म्यम्)

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

• सर्वकामफलप्रदम्: granting the fruits of all desires
• सर्वकामफलप्रदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + काम + फल + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सर्वेषां कामानां फलप्रदं), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (माहात्म्यम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vahnidaivata/Vaiśvānareśvara at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage narrates the Vahnidaivata-mahātmya to Devī; listeners sit in a sanctified grove near Prabhāsa, with a subtle fire-altar motif and manuscript/palm-leaf text present.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Vahnidaivata
• Vaiśvānareśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devout listening) to a tīrtha’s māhātmya is itself a purifying practice that yields auspicious results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, specifically the glory connected with Vaiśvānareśvara/Vahnidaivata.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hearing (śravaṇa) the māhātmya as a meritorious act; the verse emphasizes its phala.