Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

चक्षुर्मंडलमध्ये तु यथा देवि कनीनिका । पूर्वपश्चिमतो देवि गोमुखादाऽश्वमेधिकम्

Transliteration

cakṣurmaṃḍalamadhye tu yathā devi kanīnikā | pūrvapaścimato devi gomukhādā'śvamedhikam

Translation

كما أنّ حدقة العين، يا ديفي، تقع في وسط دائرة العين، كذلك—يا ديفي—يمتد هذا الحرم المقدّس من الشرق إلى الغرب، من غوموخا إلى أشڤاميدهيكا.

Word by Word

• चक्षुः: of the eye
• चक्षुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मण्डल: of the orb/circle
• मण्डल: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (in the middle)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Upamana marker (comparison)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक (comparative)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• कनीनिका: the pupil (of the eye)
• कनीनिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनीनिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पूर्व: from the east
• पूर्व: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; दिशावाचक

• पश्चिमतः: from the westward side
• पश्चिमतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• गोमुखात्: from Gomukha
• गोमुखात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गोस्य मुखम्)

• आ: up to/towards
• आ: Directional marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्ग/निपात (up to, towards)

• अश्वमेधिकम्: (the place) called Aśvamedhika / pertaining to the Aśvamedha
• अश्वमेधिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मेधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अश्वमेधसम्बन्धि)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced: continuing address to Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomukha–Aśvamedhika axis within Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic composition: an eye-shaped mandala over the landscape, with the pupil as the central shrine; labels at the horizontal ends: Gomukha (east) and Aśvamedhika (west) marking the span.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Gomukha
• Aśvamedhika

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred space is not abstract; it is described with precise boundaries to guide pilgrimage and focused devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, with an east–west span marked by Gomukha and Aśvamedhika.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it provides pilgrimage geography (dik-nirdeśa) for locating the sanctified centre.