Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

वातापिभक्षणेपूर्वमगस्त्येन महात्मना । दैत्यसंभक्षणोत्पन्नसर्वपातकशुद्धये । समाहूता महादेवि गंगापातकनाशिनी

Transliteration

vātāpibhakṣaṇepūrvamagastyena mahātmanā | daityasaṃbhakṣaṇotpannasarvapātakaśuddhaye | samāhūtā mahādevi gaṃgāpātakanāśinī

Translation

واتاپی کو کھانے سے پہلے، اے مہادیوی، مہاتما اگستیہ نے دَیتیہ کے بھکشَن سے پیدا ہونے والے ہر پاپ کی شُدّھی کے لیے، پاپ نाशِنی دیوی گنگا کا آہوان کیا۔

Word by Word

• वातापि-भक्षणे: in/at the eating of Vātāpi
• वातापि-भक्षणे: Adhikarana (Time/occasion locus)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वातापि (प्रातिपदिक) + भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—वातापेः भक्षणम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• पूर्वम्: before
• पूर्वम्: Temporal adverb (कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb) ‘पूर्वम्’ = before

• अगस्त्येन: by Agastya
• अगस्त्येन: Kartr/Agent-instrument (कर्ता/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• महात्मना: by the great-souled (one)
• महात्मना: Kartr/Agent qualifier (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (अगस्त्यस्य)

• दैत्य-सम्भक्षण-उत्पन्न-सर्वपातक-शुद्धये: for the purification of all sins arising from eating the demon
• दैत्य-सम्भक्षण-उत्पन्न-सर्वपातक-शुद्धये: Sampradana/Purpose (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्य + सम्भक्षण + उत्पन्न + सर्व + पातक + शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—दैत्यसम्भक्षणात् उत्पन्नानां सर्वपातकानां शुद्धये (for purification of all sins arisen from eating a demon)

• समाहूता: was summoned
• समाहूता: Karta (of passive predicate)/Subject (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + हु (धातु) → समाहूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (Nom), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थः ‘was summoned/called’

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Address (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—महती देवी (कर्मधारय)

• गंगा-पातक-नाशिनी: Gaṅgā, destroyer of sins
• गंगा-पातक-नाशिनी: Karta qualifier (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गा + पातक + नाशिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (Nom), एकवचन; समासः—गङ्गा (नाम) + पातकनाशिनी (पातकस्य नाशिनी—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from dialogue frame)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgeśvara (purificatory locus)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (explicit: 'mahādevi')

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya prepares to consume Vātāpi; before the act he invokes Gaṅgā. Gaṅgā appears, radiant, with a stream of sacred water; the atmosphere is solemn, emphasizing purification before a perilous deed.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Vātāpi
• Gaṅgā
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even extraordinary acts require śuddhi (purification); dharma emphasizes expiation and sacred cleansing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting prepares the glory of Gaṅgeśvara and the Gaṅgā-associated sanctity near Agastya’s āśrama in Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Invoking Gaṅgā for pātaka-śuddhi—purification from sins—especially connected with contact/consumption-related impurity.