Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

कथं प्रतिष्ठितं लिङ्गं पुष्करे पापतस्करे । एतद्विस्तरतो ब्रूहि फलं माहात्म्यसंयुतम्

Transliteration

kathaṃ pratiṣṭhitaṃ liṅgaṃ puṣkare pāpataskare | etadvistarato brūhi phalaṃ māhātmyasaṃyutam

Translation

Wie wurde der Liṅga in Puṣkara, dem „Dieb der Sünden“, eingesetzt? Berichte dies ausführlich, samt den Früchten und Verdiensten, erfüllt von seiner heiligen Größe.

Word by Word

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• प्रतिष्ठितम्: established
• प्रतिष्ठितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रति-स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; 'स्थापितम्/established'

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• पुष्करे: in Puṣkara
• पुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• पापतस्करे: (in) the 'thief of sins' (holy place)
• पापतस्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पापतस्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (पापं तस्कर इव/पापहरः)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विस्तरतः: in detail
• विस्तरतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विस्तरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त), अर्थे: 'विस्तरेण/in detail'

• ब्रूहि: tell
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• फलम्: the result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• माहात्म्य-संयुतम्: endowed with (its) greatness
• माहात्म्य-संयुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः (माहात्म्येन/माहात्म्यस्य संयुतम्)

Speaker

Śrī Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara (Aṣṭapuṣkara-kuṇḍa) in Prabhāsa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śiva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī presses for details; the pond is envisioned as a ‘thief of sins’—a subtle personification: shadowy chains breaking and slipping into the water; in the distance, the liṅga installation scene is poised to unfold like a staged tableau.

Characters & Entities

• Puṣkara
• Liṅga
• Māhātmya
• Pāpa-kṣaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is understood through its origin-story and promised fruits; knowing the māhātmya strengthens faith and practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkara is praised as pāpa-taskara, a place famed for removing sins, while the broader narrative remains within Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (installation) is the focal act being asked about; the verse requests its phala (spiritual results).