Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

धनुषां त्रिंशता देवि श्रुतं पातकनाशनम् । पूर्वं कृतयुगे देवि स्मृतं चित्रांगदेश्वरम्

Transliteration

dhanuṣāṃ triṃśatā devi śrutaṃ pātakanāśanam | pūrvaṃ kṛtayuge devi smṛtaṃ citrāṃgadeśvaram

Translation

ഹേ ദേവീ, മുപ്പത് ധനുസ്സിന്റെ അകലത്തിനുള്ളിൽ ഈ സ്ഥലം പാതകനാശിനിയായി പ്രസിദ്ധമാണ്. ഹേ ദേവീ, മുൻപ് കൃതയുഗത്തിൽ ഇതിനെ ‘ചിത്രാംഗദേശ്വര’ എന്നു സ്മരിച്ചിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

• धनुषाम्: of bows (as a measure)
• धनुषाम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• त्रिंशता: by thirty (i.e., thirty in number)
• त्रिंशता: Karana (Instrument/Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिंशत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

• देवि: O देवी
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• श्रुतम्: is heard; is known by hearing
• श्रुतम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + त (क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

• पातकनाशनम्: destroyer of sins
• पातकनाशनम्: Karma/Predicative complement (कर्म/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पातकस्य नाशनम्)

• पूर्वम्: formerly; earlier
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• कृतयुगे: in the Kṛta-yuga
• कृतयुगे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतयुग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; समासः कृत + युग

• देवि: O देवी
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• स्मृतम्: is remembered; is known by tradition
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + त (क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त)

• चित्रांगदेश्वरम्: Citrāṅgadeśvara (name of the deity)
• चित्रांगदेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्राङ्गद + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (चित्राङ्गदस्य ईश्वरः)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāleśvara / Citrāṅgadeśvara (older name)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim enters the consecrated zone around Mahākāleśvara; a subtle boundary marker indicates ‘thirty bow-lengths’; an inscription recalls the ancient name Citrāṅgadeśvara from Kṛta Yuga; the shrine radiates protective sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Citrāṅgadeśvara
• Kṛta Yuga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places carry time-transcending potency; their names may change across yugas, but their power to purify remains.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mahākāleśvara/Citrāṅgadeśvara shrine-area in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, praised as pātaka-nāśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse emphasizes the site’s purificatory merit and its traditional name.