Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

पूर्वे कल्पे स्वयं भूतं महोदयमिति श्रुतम् । स लिंगं देवदेवस्य प्रतिष्ठाप्यार्चयन्नपि

Transliteration

pūrve kalpe svayaṃ bhūtaṃ mahodayamiti śrutam | sa liṃgaṃ devadevasya pratiṣṭhāpyārcayannapi

Translation

في كَلْبَةٍ سابقة سُمِع بوجود لِنْغا متجلٍّ بذاته يُدعى «ماهودايا». فأقام ذلك اللِنْغا لإله الآلهة وثبّته، ثم عبده وقرّبه بالعبادة.

Word by Word

• पूर्वे: in the former
• पूर्वे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th case/locative), एकवचन (singular) (कल्पे इति विशेषण)

• कल्पे: in (a) kalpa/aeon
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th case/locative), एकवचन (singular)

• स्वयम्: by itself/of itself
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण/निपात (adverb: ‘by oneself’)

• भूतम्: arisen/come into being
• भूतम्: Kriya (Participial predicate/कृदन्त)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘having become/that which arose’

• महोदयम्: (the) great manifestation ‘Mahodaya’
• महोदयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + उदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (भूतम् इति विशेष्य)

• इति: thus/so called
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• श्रुतम्: is heard/was heard (as tradition)
• श्रुतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘it is heard/it is known’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

• लिंगम्: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिंगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• देवदेवस्य: of the God of gods
• देवदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी (6th case/genitive), एकवचन (singular)

• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: having installed
• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) (ल्यप्), ‘having स्थापित/installed’

• अर्चयन्: worshipping
• अर्चयन्: Kriya (Ongoing action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (सः इति विशेषण)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; ‘even/also’)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ancient sage in Prabhāsa installs a radiant self-manifest liṅga named Mahodaya and performs reverent worship in a coastal sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Mahodaya (svayambhū-liṅga)
• Devadeva (Śiva)
• liṅga-pratiṣṭhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s presence in a kṣetra is affirmed through both self-manifest signs and consecrated worship, grounding the site’s enduring sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra in the frame of Siddheśvara’s story, with mention of the Mahodaya self-manifest liṅga tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (installation) and arcana (worship) of the Devadeva’s liṅga.