Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

एकार्णवं जगदिदं ब्रह्मापश्यदशेषतः । तस्मिन्वसुमती मग्ना पातालतलमागता

Transliteration

ekārṇavaṃ jagadidaṃ brahmāpaśyadaśeṣataḥ | tasminvasumatī magnā pātālatalamāgatā

Translation

तेव्हा ब्रह्म्याने हे संपूर्ण जग सर्वथा एकार्णवमय पाहिले; त्या प्रलयजलात वसुमती (पृथ्वी) बुडून पाताळतलापर्यंत जाऊन पोहोचली।

Word by Word

• ekārṇavam: as one ocean; a single flood
• ekārṇavam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka + arṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter, accusative, singular; adjective)

• jagat: the world
• jagat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jagat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (neuter, nominative, singular)

• idam: this
• idam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषणम् (neuter, nominative, singular; pronominal adjective)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative, singular)

• apaśyat: saw
• apaśyat: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (imperfect, parasmaipada, 3rd person singular)

• aśeṣataḥ: entirely; without remainder
• aśeṣataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: aśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (indeclinable; adverb)

• tasmin: in that (ocean)
• tasmin: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (locative singular; pronoun)

• vasumatī: the Earth
• vasumatī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasumatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (feminine, nominative, singular)

• magnā: submerged
• magnā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: maj (धातु) + magna (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (past participle, feminine, nominative, singular; adjective)

• pātāla-talam: the floor/region of Pātāla (netherworld)
• pātāla-talam: Gati-karma (Goal/Object of motion/गतिकर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla + tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, accusative, singular)

• āgatā: had gone/come (reached)
• āgatā: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā + gam (धातु) + āgata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; गत्यर्थे (past participle used predicatively; feminine nominative singular)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kardamālā (etiological frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā witnesses the world as a single ocean; the Earth-goddess sinks downward into Pātāla realms beneath the waters.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Vasumatī (Bhūmi)
• Pātāla
• Ekārṇava

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine order restores the world even after total collapse; sacred narratives ground tīrtha-mahātmya in cosmic rescue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsa-region tīrtha tradition is being prepared through the Varāha rescue backdrop.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it narrates the descent of Earth to Pātāla.