Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि राजभट्टारकं परम् । रैवन्तकं सूर्यपुत्रमश्वारूढं महाबलम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi rājabhaṭṭārakaṃ param | raivantakaṃ sūryaputramaśvārūḍhaṃ mahābalam

Translation

Īśvara sprach: Dann, o Große Göttin, soll man zum erhabenen königlichen Bhaṭṭāraka gehen—zu Raivantaka, dem Sohn der Sonne—hoch zu Ross und von großer Kraft erfüllt.

Word by Word

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

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of sequence)

• gacchet: let (one) go
• gacchet: Kriya (Injunctive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• rājabhaṭṭārakam: the royal lord (Bhaṭṭāraka)
• rājabhaṭṭārakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāja-bhaṭṭāraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object)

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• raivantakam: Raivantaka
• raivantakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: raivantaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• sūryaputram: son of the Sun
• sūryaputram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya-putra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म; raivantakam इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषण-सम्बन्ध (appositive)

• aśvārūḍham: mounted on a horse
• aśvārūḍham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aśva-ārūḍha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• mahābalam: very strong
• mahābalam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā-bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rājabhaṭṭāraka Raivantaka

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Mahādevī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī; in the distance a majestic horse-mounted figure (Raivantaka) appears like a royal guardian, with solar emblems (sun-disc, radiance) and a protective stance at the edge of a sacred route.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Īśvara)
• Devī
• Raivantaka
• Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a guided dharmic journey: moving from one sanctified presence to another with faith and discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The shrine or sacred presence of Raivantaka Rāja-bhaṭṭāraka within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directive to go (gacchet) for darśana—an implied pilgrimage act rather than a detailed rite.