Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि देवेशं दैत्यसूदनम् । पापघ्नं सर्वजंतूनां प्रभासक्षेत्रवासिनाम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi deveśaṃ daityasūdanam | pāpaghnaṃ sarvajaṃtūnāṃ prabhāsakṣetravāsinām

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അപ്പോൾ, ഹേ മഹാദേവീ, ദേവേശനായ ദൈത്യസൂദനന്റെ അടുക്കൽ പോകണം; പ്രഭാസക്ഷേത്രവാസികളായ സർവ്വജീവികളുടെ പാപങ്ങളെ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ അവൻ തന്നെയാണ്.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (the Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्ययीभावार्थे (adverb: ‘then/from there’)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महादेवि: O Mahādevī
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक; महा+देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• देवेशम्: the Lord of the gods
• देवेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेश (प्रातिपदिक; देव+ईश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (lord of gods)

• दैत्यसूदनम्: slayer of the Daityas
• दैत्यसूदनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य-सूदन (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (slayer of demons)

• पापघ्नम्: sin-destroying
• पापघ्नम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप-घ्न (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (destroyer of sin)

• सर्वजन्तूनाम्: of all beings
• सर्वजन्तूनाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• प्रभासक्षेत्रवासिनाम्: of the residents of Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• प्रभासक्षेत्रवासिनाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास-क्षेत्र-वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; ‘प्रभासक्षेत्रे वासिनः’ (those dwelling in Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daityasūdana (Deveśa) shrine within Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (as narrator) instructs Devī: ‘then go’—a transition scene showing a pilgrim procession moving through Prabhāsa toward a shrine of Deveśa titled Daityasūdana; banners, conch, and temple spire ahead; the deity’s protective, demon-slaying aura is suggested.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Mahādevī
• Daityasūdana
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and darśana of Daityasūdana in Prabhāsa is praised as a direct means of sin-destruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Daityasūdana’s sacred presence within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to ‘go’ (gacchet)—a tīrtha-yātrā act culminating in worship/darśana of Daityasūdana.