Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । कस्मात्सोमेश्वरं देवं परित्यज्य नराधिप । केदारस्य पुरोऽकार्षीर्जागरं तद्ब्रवीहि नः । नूनं वेत्सि फलं चास्य लिंगस्य त्वं महोदयम्

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kasmātsomeśvaraṃ devaṃ parityajya narādhipa | kedārasya puro'kārṣīrjāgaraṃ tadbravīhi naḥ | nūnaṃ vetsi phalaṃ cāsya liṃgasya tvaṃ mahodayam

Translation

قال الرِّشِيّون: «يا حاكمَ الناس، لِمَ تركتَ الإلهَ سوميشفرا (Someśvara) وأقمتَ السَّهَرَ تعبّدًا أمام كيدارا (Kedāra)؟ فحدّثْنا بذلك. لا ريبَ، أيّها النبيل، أنّك تعلم ثمرةَ عبادةِ هذا اللِّينغا (liṅga).»

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kasmāt: from what cause? why?
• kasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• someśvaram: Soma-īśvara (Lord Soma)
• someśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• devam: the god
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• parityajya: having abandoned
• parityajya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-tyaj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal)

• narādhipa: O king (lord of men)
• narādhipa: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara + adhipa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• kedārasya: of Kedāra
• kedārasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kedāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• puraḥ: in front; before
• puraḥ: Desha/Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puras (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, उपसर्गार्थक/क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'in front/before')

• akārṣīḥ: you did; you performed
• akārṣīḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• jāgaram: a vigil; wakefulness observance
• jāgaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jāgara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• bravīhi: tell (speak)
• bravīhi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• naḥ: to us; for us
• naḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (Genitive/Dative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• nūnam: surely
• nūnam: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nūnam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निश्चयार्थक (particle of certainty)

• vetsi: you know
• vetsi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• phalam: fruit; result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• asya: of this
• asya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसक/पुं-प्रयोग

• liṅgasya: of the liṅga (emblem)
• liṅgasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• tvam: you
• tvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• mahodayam: great prosperity; great rise (as result)
• mahodayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + udaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (assembled sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (Kedāranātha) / Someśvara (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājā (narādhipa, ‘best of kings’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages respectfully question the king about leaving Someśvara and keeping a night vigil at Kedāra; the imagery juxtaposes a coastal liṅga shrine and a snow-clad Himalayan temple.

Characters & Entities

• Someśvara
• Kedāra (Kedāreśvara)
• Śiva-liṅga
• King (narādhipa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion is evaluated by understanding its purpose—rituals like vigil are meant to deepen faith and merit in Śiva worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra/Kedāreśvara is highlighted, within the wider Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Jāgaraṇa (keeping a night vigil) performed before a Śiva-liṅga (Kedāreśvara).