Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । अथ लब्धवरस्तत्र कृतार्थो भक्तिसंयुतः । स्थापयामास लिंगं स गन्धर्वो घनवाहनः । सोमेशादुत्तरे भागे दंडपाणिसमीपतः । गन्धर्वेश्वरनामानं गान्धर्वफलदायकम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | atha labdhavarastatra kṛtārtho bhaktisaṃyutaḥ | sthāpayāmāsa liṃgaṃ sa gandharvo ghanavāhanaḥ | someśāduttare bhāge daṃḍapāṇisamīpataḥ | gandharveśvaranāmānaṃ gāndharvaphaladāyakam

Translation

ঈশ্বর বললেন—তারপর সেখানে বরলাভ করে কৃতার্থ ও ভক্তিসম্পন্ন গন্ধর্ব ঘনবাহন একটি লিঙ্গ প্রতিষ্ঠা করল। তা সোমেশ্বরের উত্তর ভাগে, দণ্ডপাণির নিকটে, ‘গন্ধর্বেশ্বর’ নামে খ্যাত এবং গন্ধর্ব-সম্বন্ধীয় ফল প্রদানকারী।

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (sequencing particle)

• labdha-varaḥ: having obtained a boon
• labdha-varaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: labdha (कृदन्त; √labh धातु) + vara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘वरं लब्धः’ इति षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः तत्पुरुष; विशेषण

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• kṛta-arthaḥ: fulfilled, successful
• kṛta-arthaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ धातु) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘अर्थः कृतः’ इति तत्पुरुष; विशेषण

• bhakti-saṃyutaḥ: endowed with devotion
• bhakti-saṃyutaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyuta (कृदन्त; √yuj धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘भक्त्या संयुतः’ इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुष; विशेषण

• sthāpayāmāsa: installed, caused to be set up
• sthāpayāmāsa: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोजक (causative) भावः—‘स्थापयति’

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• gandharvaḥ: the Gandharva
• gandharvaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandharva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ghanavāhanaḥ: Ghanavāhana (proper name)
• ghanavāhanaḥ: Karta (Apposition/समनाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghana (प्रातिपदिक) + vāhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नाम; ‘घनः वाहनं यस्य’ इति बहुव्रीहि-सम्भाव्य, परन्तु प्रचलित-नामरूपेण समासग्रहणम्

• someśāt: from Someśa
• someśāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: someśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• uttare: in the northern
• uttare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (भागे इति)

• bhāge: part/section
• bhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• daṇḍapāṇi-samīpataḥ: near Daṇḍapāṇi
• daṇḍapāṇi-samīpataḥ: Adhikarana (Proximity/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: daṇḍapāṇi (प्रातिपदिक) + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त ‘-तः’ (ablatival adverb) — ‘समīपात्/निकटात्’; ‘दण्डपाणि-समīप’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• gandharveśvara-nāmānam: named ‘Gandharveśvara’
• gandharveśvara-nāmānam: Karma (Object complement/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gandharva (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘गन्धर्वेश्वर’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गन्धर्वाणाम् ईश्वरः) + ‘नāmānam’ = ‘नाम्ना युक्तम्/नामधेयम्’; विशेषण (लिङ्गम् इति)

• gāndharva-phala-dāyakam: bestowing Gandharva-related fruits/boons
• gāndharva-phala-dāyakam: Karma (Object complement/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gāndharva (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक) + dāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘फलदायक’ इति उपपद-तत्पुरुष (फलम् ददाति) तथा ‘गान्धर्वफल’ इति षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-प्रायः; विशेषण (लिङ्गम् इति)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gandharveśvara (within Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Gandharva Ghanavāhana installs a newly consecrated liṅga named Gandharveśvara north of Someśvara, near the Daṇḍapāṇi shrine; priests pour abhiṣeka while the daughter offers flowers; directional markers and nearby shrines indicate sacred geography.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Ghanavāhana
• Someśvara
• Daṇḍapāṇi
• Gandharveśvara
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gratitude for divine grace is expressed through establishing sacred presence (liṅga-pratiṣṭhā), anchoring devotion in sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gandharveśvara liṅga in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, situated north of Someśvara near Daṇḍapāṇi.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpana (establishing a liṅga) and the implied continued worship of that shrine.