Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

पापघ्नं सर्वजंतूनां पातालविवरं महत्

Transliteration

pāpaghnaṃ sarvajaṃtūnāṃ pātālavivaraṃ mahat

Translation

یہ تمام جانداروں کے گناہ ناپاکی کو مٹا دیتا ہے؛ یہ پاتال کی طرف جانے والا ایک عظیم شگاف ہے۔

Word by Word

• pāpa-ghnam: sin-destroying
• pāpa-ghnam: Karma (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa + ghna (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘पापं हन्ति’ इति उपपद-तत्पुरुषः; विशेषणम् (pātālavivaram)

• sarva-jaṃtūnām: of all beings
• sarva-jaṃtūnām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva + jaṃtu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; ‘सर्वेषां जन्तूनाम्’

• pātāla-vivaram: a chasm/opening to the netherworld
• pātāla-vivaram: Karta (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātāla + vivara (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘पातालस्य विवरम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• mahat: great
• mahat: Karta (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (vivaram)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continuation from prior verse context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgasthāna (pātāla-vivara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dramatic sacred hollow or fissure near converging waters, guarded by subtle Nāga imagery; pilgrims perform reverent rites as the ‘pātāla-vivara’ is hinted by darkness and depth.

Characters & Entities

• Pātāla
• Nāgasthāna (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tirtha is portrayed as universally purifying—its sanctity benefits all beings and removes accumulated sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nāgasthāna/Traisaṅgama context—described as a great pātāla-opening and sin-destroying place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated in this verse; it gives a phala/guṇa description (sin-destroying nature).