Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

आससाद महाक्षेत्रं प्रभासमिति विश्रुतम् । देवदानवगंधर्वैः सेवितं पापनाशनम्

Transliteration

āsasāda mahākṣetraṃ prabhāsamiti viśrutam | devadānavagaṃdharvaiḥ sevitaṃ pāpanāśanam

Translation

അവൾ ‘പ്രഭാസം’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ മഹാക്ഷേത്രത്തെ എത്തി; ദേവന്മാർ, ദാനവർ, ഗന്ധർവർ സേവിക്കുന്നതും പാപനാശിനിയുമായ സ്ഥലം അത്।

Word by Word

• आससाद: reached/approached
• आससाद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महाक्षेत्रम्: the great sacred region
• महाक्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महৎ क्षेत्रम्)

• प्रभासम्: Prabhāsa
• प्रभासम्: Karma (Apposition/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्षेत्रस्य नाम

• इति: thus (named)
• इति: Vacana-marker (Quotation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/नामनिर्देश-अव्यय (quotative)

• विश्रुतम्: well-known
• विश्रुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्षेत्रम् इत्यस्य विशेषण

• देवदानवगन्धर्वैः: by gods, demons, and gandharvas
• देवदानवगन्धर्वैः: Karana (Agent in passive/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + दानव (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्धर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (देवाः च दानवाः च गन्धर्वाः च)

• सेवितम्: served/attended/visited
• सेवितम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सेव् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्षेत्रम् इत्यस्य विशेषण (served/visited)

• पापनाशनम्: sin-destroying
• पापनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पापस्य नाशनम्)

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya; traditionally Sūta)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Prabhāsa appears radiant: a vast sacred field with shrines and luminous atmosphere; devas, dānavas, and gandharvas offer worship together as Bhū-devī arrives.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Devas
• Dānavas
• Gandharvas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A truly sanctified tīrtha is recognized by its transformative power—especially the cleansing of pāpa (sin).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, proclaimed a mahākṣetra and a pāpa-nāśana (sin-destroying) pilgrimage site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is given in this verse; it declares the site’s sanctity and sin-destroying potency.