Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

गोघ्नो वा ब्रह्महा वाऽपि तथा दुष्कृतकर्मकृत् । सर्व पापैः प्रमुच्येत तस्य लिंगस्य दर्शनात्

Transliteration

goghno vā brahmahā vā'pi tathā duṣkṛtakarmakṛt | sarva pāpaiḥ pramucyeta tasya liṃgasya darśanāt

Translation

ଗୋହତ୍ୟାକାରୀ ହେଉ କି ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣହତ୍ୟାକାରୀ, କିମ୍ବା ଦୁଷ୍କର୍ମକାରୀ—ସେହି ଲିଙ୍ଗର କେବଳ ଦର୍ଶନରେ ମାତ୍ର ସେ ସମସ୍ତ ପାପରୁ ମୁକ୍ତ ହୁଏ।

Word by Word

• गोघ्नः: a cow-killer
• गोघ्नः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोघ्न (प्रातिपदिक; गो + घ्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (गो-घ्नः = गाः हन्ति इति)

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• ब्रह्महा: a Brahmin-slayer
• ब्रह्महा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-निपात (particle: 'even/also')

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'thus/likewise')

• दुष्कृतकर्मकृत्: a doer of evil deeds
• दुष्कृतकर्मकृत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्कृत-कर्म-कृत् (प्रातिपदिक; दुष्कृत + कर्म + कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रधान-तत्पुरुषसमासः (दुष्कृतं कर्म करोति इति)

• सर्वः: anyone/every person
• सर्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (अत्र ‘सर्वः’ = ‘सर्वः जनः’ इत्यर्थे)

• पापैः: from sins
• पापैः: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• प्रमुच्येत: would be freed
• प्रमुच्येत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + मुच् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive sense: 'would be released')

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• लिङ्गस्य: of the liṅga
• लिङ्गस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• दर्शनात्: from seeing (by the sight)
• दर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक; √दृश्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (context: Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaurīśvara Liṅga (same Liṅga as 69.5)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A remorseful sinner—symbolically burdened—stands before the Liṅga; as the gaze meets the sanctum, dark smoke-like pāpa dissolves into light; priests and pilgrims witness the transformation; Nandi faces the Liṅga, lamps blazing.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva-liṅga
• Darśana
• Go-hatyā
• Brahma-hatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Mahātmya emphasizes the extraordinary sanctity of the kṣetra and liṅga, where darśana itself is portrayed as transformative purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A liṅga within Prabhāsakṣetra whose darśana is said to destroy even grave sins.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (reverent seeing) of the liṅga is presented as the key act conferring release from sins.