Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

दुन्नको यत्र भीमेन भुक्त्वा त्यक्तः पुरा प्रिये । तत्रैव विवरं दिव्यं महा पातालमार्गदम्

Transliteration

dunnako yatra bhīmena bhuktvā tyaktaḥ purā priye | tatraiva vivaraṃ divyaṃ mahā pātālamārgadam

Translation

ഹേ പ്രിയേ, ഭീമൻ പണ്ടുകാലത്ത് ദുന്നകനെ ഭുജിച്ച് ഉപേക്ഷിച്ച സ്ഥലം അതുതന്നെ. അവിടെയേ മഹാപാതാളത്തിലേക്കുള്ള മാർഗം നൽകുന്ന ദിവ്യമായൊരു വിടവ് ഉണ്ട്.

Word by Word

• दुन्नकः: Dunnaka (a person)
• दुन्नकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुन्नक (प्रातिपदिक; व्यक्तिनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — masculine nominative singular

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• भीमेन: by Bhīma
• भीमेन: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन — instrumental singular

• भुक्त्वा: having eaten/enjoyed
• भुक्त्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु) → भुक्त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive) — having eaten/enjoyed

• त्यक्तः: was abandoned
• त्यक्तः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु) → त्यक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — past passive participle; masculine nom sg

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: formerly)

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — vocative singular (as address)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphasis)

• विवरम्: a cavern/opening
• विवरम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विवर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — neuter nominative singular

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — neuter nominative singular; विशेषणम्

• महा: great
• महा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासपूर्वपद-रूप (महा-); विशेषणम् — adjectival prefix ‘great’

• पातालमार्गदम्: giving a path to the netherworld
• पातालमार्गदम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाताल + मार्गद (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषः/उपपद: पातालाय मार्गदः ‘giver of a path to Pātāla’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — neuter nominative singular; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dunnaka-sthāna / Pātāla-vivara

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic sacred spot: Bhīma’s colossal figure in the background of legend, and in the present a glowing fissure/cave-mouth in the earth, ringed by small liṅgas and awed pilgrims.

Characters & Entities

• Bhīma
• Dunnaka
• Pātāla
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic tīrthas preserve memory of epic events; the landscape becomes a living scripture where myth and place mutually authenticate sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dunnāville/Dunnaka-associated spot featuring a divine cavern described as a gateway toward Pātāla.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse provides mythic identification of the site and its extraordinary feature.