Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्नृपश्रेष्ठ गुहेश्वरमनुत्तमम् । गुहामध्ये गतं लिंगं सिद्धैः संपूजितं पुरा

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | tato gacchennṛpaśreṣṭha guheśvaramanuttamam | guhāmadhye gataṃ liṃgaṃ siddhaiḥ saṃpūjitaṃ purā

Translation

Pulastya sprach: Dann, o bester der Könige, soll man zum unvergleichlichen Guheśvara gehen. Inmitten einer Höhle befindet sich ein Liṅga, der einst von den Siddhas in alter Zeit in voller Verehrung angebetet wurde.

Word by Word

• pulastyaḥ: Pulastya
• pulastyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pulastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; वक्ता

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोगः (adverb) — “thereafter/from there”

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्; विधिलिङ्गार्थे आज्ञा/विधानम्

• nṛpaśreṣṭha: O best of kings
• nṛpaśreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa-śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्; संबोधनम्

• guheśvaram: Guheśvara (Lord of the cave)
• guheśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhā-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; गुहा + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; कर्म

• anuttamam: unsurpassed
• anuttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-uttama (प्रातिपदिक; अन् + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; guheśvaram इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• guhāmadhye: in the middle of the cave
• guhāmadhye: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhā-madhya (प्रातिपदिक; गुहा + मध्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; अधिकरणम्—“in the middle of the cave”

• gatam: situated/placed
• gatam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; liṅgam इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्—“gone/placed”

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्म (गच्छेत्—प्राप्तव्य-स्थान/द्रष्टव्य-वस्तु)

• siddhaiḥ: by the Siddhas
• siddhaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम्; कर्तृकरणभावे—“by the Siddhas”

• saṃpūjitam: worshipped
• saṃpūjitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ-pūj (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; liṅgam इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्—“worshipped”

• purā: formerly/once
• purā: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guheśvara

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpaśreṣṭha (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pulastya guides the king to Guheśvara: a liṅga deep inside a cave, lit by lamps; Siddhas in ancient times are envisioned offering worship; the cave mouth opens to a mountainous landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Guheśvara
• Śiva-liṅga
• Siddhas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is guided devotion: approaching an ancient, Siddha-worshipped liṅga connects the devotee to a living lineage of Śaiva sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Guheśvara—an eminent cave-shrine with a liṅga revered by Siddhas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directive to visit (gacchet) Guheśvara and worship the cave-situated liṅga.