Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

पूर्वे कल्पे स्वयं भूतं महोदयमिति श्रुतम् । स लिंगं देवदेवस्य प्रतिष्ठाप्यार्चयन्नपि

Transliteration

pūrve kalpe svayaṃ bhūtaṃ mahodayamiti śrutam | sa liṃgaṃ devadevasya pratiṣṭhāpyārcayannapi

Translation

In einem früheren Kalpa, so hat man vernommen, gab es einen selbstmanifesten Liṅga namens Mahodaya. Er setzte jenen Liṅga des Deva der Devas ein und verehrte ihn zugleich in Anbetung.

Word by Word

• पूर्वे: in the former
• पूर्वे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th case/locative), एकवचन (singular) (कल्पे इति विशेषण)

• कल्पे: in (a) kalpa/aeon
• कल्पे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th case/locative), एकवचन (singular)

• स्वयम्: by itself/of itself
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण/निपात (adverb: ‘by oneself’)

• भूतम्: arisen/come into being
• भूतम्: Kriya (Participial predicate/कृदन्त)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; ‘having become/that which arose’

• महोदयम्: (the) great manifestation ‘Mahodaya’
• महोदयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + उदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (भूतम् इति विशेष्य)

• इति: thus/so called
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्तिसूचक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• श्रुतम्: is heard/was heard (as tradition)
• श्रुतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘it is heard/it is known’

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st case), एकवचन (singular)

• लिंगम्: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिंगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), द्वितीया (2nd case/accusative), एकवचन (singular)

• देवदेवस्य: of the God of gods
• देवदेवस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), षष्ठी (6th case/genitive), एकवचन (singular)

• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: having installed
• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) (ल्यप्), ‘having स्थापित/installed’

• अर्चयन्: worshipping
• अर्चयन्: Kriya (Ongoing action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (सः इति विशेषण)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; ‘even/also’)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Somnātha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis of Naimiṣāraṇya (typical frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ancient sage in Prabhāsa installs a radiant self-manifest liṅga named Mahodaya and performs reverent worship in a coastal sacred precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Mahodaya (svayambhū-liṅga)
• Devadeva (Śiva)
• liṅga-pratiṣṭhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s presence in a kṣetra is affirmed through both self-manifest signs and consecrated worship, grounding the site’s enduring sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra in the frame of Siddheśvara’s story, with mention of the Mahodaya self-manifest liṅga tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (installation) and arcana (worship) of the Devadeva’s liṅga.