Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि उत्तरे देवमुत्तमम् । यस्तमाराधयेद्देवं महापातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi uttare devamuttamam | yastamārādhayeddevaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „Dann, o große Göttin, soll man nach Norden zum höchsten Herrn gehen. Wer jene Gottheit verehrt — den Vernichter großer Sünden — dem werden diese schweren Verfehlungen getilgt.“

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महादेवि: O Mahādevī
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• उत्तरे: in the north
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; दिग्वाचक (in the north)

• देवम्: the god/deity
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying देवम्)

• यः: who (whoever)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• तम्: him/that (deity)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• आराधयेत्: should worship, propitiate
• आराधयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: राध् (धातु) + आ (उपसर्ग)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• देवम्: the god
• देवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महापातकनाशनम्: destroyer of great sins
• महापातकनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापातक + नाशन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying देवम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnamed ‘uttara’ devatā-sthāna within Prabhāsa-kṣetra (next station)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara instructs Devī, pointing northward on a sacred map of Prabhāsa; a distant shrine glows, indicating the ‘supreme deity’ who destroys great sins.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Mahādevī
• Uttareśvara (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and sincere worship of Śiva at the praised shrine are presented as a dharmic means to cleanse even grave sins.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The northern shrine of the supreme Lord in Prabhāsa Kṣetra—understood in this chapter as Uttareśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Going (yātrā) to the northern sacred spot and performing ārādhana (devotional worship) of the deity.