Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

मध्येस्य पीठिका प्रोक्ता पंचयोजनविस्तृता । तन्मध्ये मद्ग्रहं देवि तिष्ठत्युदधिसंनिधौ

Transliteration

madhyesya pīṭhikā proktā paṃcayojanavistṛtā | tanmadhye madgrahaṃ devi tiṣṭhatyudadhisaṃnidhau

Translation

তার মধ্যভাগে পঞ্চ যোজন বিস্তৃত এক ‘পীঠিকা’ কথিত আছে। হে দেবী, তারই অন্তরে সমুদ্র-সান্নিধ্যে আমার পবিত্র ধাম প্রতিষ্ঠিত।

Word by Word

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• अस्य: of this/of it
• अस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गः, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• पीठिका: platform/altar-base
• पीठिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीठिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• प्रोक्ता: is declared/said
• प्रोक्ता: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (past passive participle) स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थः (‘is said/declared’)

• पञ्चयोजनविस्तृता: five-yojanas wide
• पञ्चयोजनविस्तृता: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च + योजन + विस्तृत (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (measure-determinative: ‘five-yojana-wide’), स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (पीठिका)

• तत्: of that/therein (that)
• तत्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, षष्ठी/सप्तमी-सम्बन्धे अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; अत्र ‘तत्’ = ‘तस्य’ (of that) इति अर्थसम्बन्धः

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• मत्-गृहम्: my abode/house
• मत्-गृहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत् (अस्मद्-प्रत्ययान्त) + गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘my house’), नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; अत्र प्रथमा (subject)

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

• तिष्ठति: stands/remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथम-पुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• उदधि-सन्निधौ: in the vicinity of the ocean
• उदधि-सन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदधि (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समासः (locative sense: ‘near the ocean’), पुंलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prābhāsika-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast coastal sacred field with a clearly marked central altar-zone (pīṭhikā) spanning ‘five yojanas’ in mythic scale; at its heart, a sanctum-like presence near the shimmering sea.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Devī
• Udadhi/Sāgara (ocean)
• Pīṭhikā (central seat)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The kṣetra has a sanctified center (pīṭha) where divine presence is concentrated—pilgrimage culminates at the heart of the sacred mandala.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The central pīṭhikā of Prabhāsa-kṣetra, situated near the ocean.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it identifies the locus of Śiva’s presence for worship and darśana.