Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । शृणु देवि प्रवक्ष्यामि कथां पापप्रणाशिनीम् । रतिर्नामाभवत्साध्वी कामपत्नी यशस्विनी

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | śṛṇu devi pravakṣyāmi kathāṃ pāpapraṇāśinīm | ratirnāmābhavatsādhvī kāmapatnī yaśasvinī

Translation

ਈਸ਼ਵਰ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ: “ਸੁਣੋ, ਹੇ ਦੇਵੀ, ਮੈਂ ਪਾਪ ਨਾਸ ਕਰਨ ਵਾਲੀ ਕਥਾ ਸੁਣਾਵਾਂਗਾ। ਰਤੀ ਨਾਮ ਦੀ ਇੱਕ ਸਾਧਵੀ ਸੀ, ਜੋ ਯਸ਼ਸਵਿਨੀ ਕਾਮਦੇਵ ਦੀ ਪਤਨੀ ਸੀ।”

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śru (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• devi: O goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन

• pravakṣyāmi: I will tell
• pravakṣyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + vac (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• kathām: story
• kathām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• pāpa-praṇāśinīm: sin-destroying
• pāpa-praṇāśinīm: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa + praṇāśinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः पापस्य प्रणाशिनी (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• ratiḥ: Rati
• ratiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• nāmā: by name
• nāmā: Nāmadhāraṇa (Naming)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभूत-रूप (indeclinable usage: ‘by name’)

• abhavat: was; became
• abhavat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• sādhvī: virtuous woman
• sādhvī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sādhvī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kāma-patnī: wife of Kāma
• kāma-patnī: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma + patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः कामस्य पत्नी (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• yaśasvinī: glorious; renowned
• yaśasvinī: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yaśasvinī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ratīśvara (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva begins the sacred narration, describing Rati—virtuous and renowned—wife of Kāma, setting a devotional tone that promises sin-destruction through the story.

Characters & Entities

• Rati
• Kāma (Manasija)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic kathā itself is framed as purifying; listening to the right sacred narrative supports inner cleansing and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ratīśvara in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, whose māhātmya is introduced through the story of Rati.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (listening) is implied as a meritorious act, as the Lord introduces a ‘pāpa-praṇāśinī’ kathā.