Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

महोदये महायक्षः सुयज्ञः पूतके वने । सिद्धेश्वरे शुक्लवर्णो विभायां पद्मबोधकः

Transliteration

mahodaye mahāyakṣaḥ suyajñaḥ pūtake vane | siddheśvare śuklavarṇo vibhāyāṃ padmabodhakaḥ

Translation

في مَهودايا هو «مهاياكشا»؛ وفي غابة بوتَكه هو «سوياجْنَيا». وفي سِدّهيشڤارا هو «شُكلاڤَرْنَة» ذو البياض المتلألئ؛ وفي ڤيبا هو «پَدْمَبودهاكا» المُوقِظُ بزهرة اللوتسِ الحكيمة—وهكذا تُعلِّم الجغرافيا المقدّسة الطهارةَ والتحقّق.

Word by Word

• महोदये: in Mahodaya (place)
• महोदये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महोदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘महा+उदय’ कर्मधारय-समास (great+rise)

• महायक्षः: the great Yakṣa
• महायक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महायक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; ‘महा+यक्ष’ कर्मधारय-समास

• सुयज्ञः: Suyajña (name)
• सुयज्ञः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुयज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘सु+यज्ञ’ कर्मधारय-समास

• पूतके: in Pūtak(a) (place)
• पूतके: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूतक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (स्थाननाम)

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• सिद्धेश्वरे: in Siddheśvara (place)
• सिद्धेश्वरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्धेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘सिद्धानाम् ईश्वरः’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• शुक्लवर्णः: white-colored
• शुक्लवर्णः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुक्लवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘शुक्लः वर्णः यस्य’ कर्मधारय-समास; विशेषणम्

• विभायाम्: in Vibhā (place)
• विभायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• पद्मबोधकः: Padmabodhaka (name; ‘one who reveals/teaches about the lotus’)
• पद्मबोधकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्मबोधक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘पद्मस्य बोधकः’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahodaya / Pūtake-vana / Siddheśvara / Vibhā

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A forested sacred route: Mahodaya with a guardian yakṣa aura near a shrine; Pūtake-vana with a yajña-kuṇḍa and sages; Siddheśvara with a radiant white (śukla) liṅga; Vibhā with a lotus pond emitting light, deity bestowing awakening.

Characters & Entities

• Mahodaya
• Mahāyakṣa
• Pūtake Vana
• Suyajña
• Siddheśvara
• Śuklavarṇa
• Vibhā
• Padmabodhaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is a path of purification and awakening: forest shrines, siddha-kṣetras, and luminous forms guide the seeker toward realization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahodaya, Pūtake forest, Siddheśvara, and Vibhā are praised as loci of distinct divine manifestations.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the epithets suggest inner yajña (right worship) and purity cultivated through tīrtha-sevā.