Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तत्र लिंगान्यनेकानि ऋषिभिः स्थापितानि तु । गंगातीरे महापुण्ये पश्चिमे वरवर्णिनि

Transliteration

tatra liṃgānyanekāni ṛṣibhiḥ sthāpitāni tu | gaṃgātīre mahāpuṇye paścime varavarṇini

Translation

Dort wurden wahrlich viele Liṅgas von den Ṛṣis errichtet, am höchst verdienstvollen Ufer der Gaṅgā, im Westen, o du von schöner Farbe.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Deśa (देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas
• लिङ्गानि: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• अनेकानि: many
• अनेकानि: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘लिङ्गानि’ इति विशेषण

• ऋषिभिः: by sages
• ऋषिभिः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• स्थापितानि: established/installed
• स्थापितानि: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative) → स्थापय् + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘लिङ्गानि’ इति विशेषण

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/विरोधसूचक-अव्यय (particle: indeed/but)

• गङ्गातीरे: on the bank of the Gaṅgā
• गङ्गातीरे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गङ्गायाः तीरम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग ‘तीर’ शब्दः, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• महापुण्ये: very holy
• महापुण्ये: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘गङ्गातीरे’ इति विशेषण

• पश्चिमे: in the western (part)
• पश्चिमे: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘गङ्गातीरे’ इति विशेषण

• वरवर्णिनि: O fair-complexioned lady
• वरवर्णिनि: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्णिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-tīra (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī/Pārvatī (addressed as varavarṇinī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous western riverbank lined with many small and large Śiva-liṅgas, each with ṛṣi-sages nearby; the water glints at sunset, with pilgrims approaching in reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Liṅgas
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places grow through the tapas and devotion of sages, creating lasting sanctuaries for pilgrims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā bank within Prabhāsa Kṣetra, especially the western area hosting multiple Ṛṣi-established liṅgas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, darśana and worship of the many liṅgas situated at the Gaṅgā-tīra.