Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

एतत्ते कथितं देवि गंगामाहात्म्यमुत्तमम् । श्रुतं पापप्रशमनं सर्वकामफलप्रदम्

Transliteration

etatte kathitaṃ devi gaṃgāmāhātmyamuttamam | śrutaṃ pāpapraśamanaṃ sarvakāmaphalapradam

Translation

اے دیوی! میں نے تم سے گنگا کی یہ اعلیٰ ترین عظمت بیان کی؛ اسے سننے سے گناہ دور ہوتے ہیں اور ہر جائز خواہش کا پھل عطا ہوتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Nom/Acc), एकवचनम्; कर्मरूपेण (this [account])

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Dative/Genitive), एकवचनम्; ‘to you/for you’ अर्थे

• कथितम्: has been told
• कथितम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि (has been told)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्

• गङ्गामाहात्म्यम्: the greatness of Gaṅgā
• गङ्गामाहात्म्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā + māhātmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी)—‘गङ्गायाः माहात्म्यम्’

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• श्रुतम्: has been heard
• श्रुतम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि (has been heard)

• पापप्रशमनम्: sin-destroying
• पापप्रशमनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa + praśamana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः—‘पापस्य प्रशमनम्’ (sin-removing)

• सर्वकामफलप्रदम्: granting the fruits of all desires
• सर्वकामफलप्रदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + kāma + phala + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—‘सर्वेषां कामानां फलप्रदम्’

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (as tīrtha; localized near Saṅgāleśvara in chapter context)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara addresses Devī, concluding the Gaṅgā-māhātmya; the scene is intimate and didactic—divine couple seated, with a symbolic Gaṅgā stream or kalasha depicted nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Devī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Listening with faith to the māhātmya of a sacred tīrtha is itself a purifying act that yields both inner cleansing and dharmic fulfilment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā is praised within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra context, as part of the Gaṅgā-māhātmya associated with the Prabhāsa region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śravaṇa (devout hearing) of the Gaṅgā-māhātmya is presented as the practice that removes sin and grants desired fruits.