Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि ह्युन्नतस्थानमुत्तमम् । तस्यैवोत्तरदिग्भाग ऋषितोयातटे शुभे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi hyunnatasthānamuttamam | tasyaivottaradigbhāga ṛṣitoyātaṭe śubhe

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „Dann, o Mahādevī, soll man zum vortrefflichen ‘Unnata‑sthāna’ (dem Erhabenen Heiligen Ort) gehen. Er liegt im nördlichen Teil eben dieses Gebietes, am glückverheißenden Ufer der Ṛṣitoya.“

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/क्रमवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal/sequential adverb)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

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

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/प्रमाणार्थ (indeed/for)

• उन्नतस्थानम्: the elevated place
• उन्नतस्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उन्नत (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• उत्तमम्: excellent; best
• उत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifier)

• तस्य: of that (place)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• एव: only; indeed
• एव: Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• उत्तरदिग्भागे: in the northern-direction portion
• उत्तरदिग्भागे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• ऋषितोयातटे: on the bank of Ṛṣi-toya (the sages’ water/river)
• ऋषितोयातटे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक) + तोय (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• शुभे: auspicious (bank/place)
• शुभे: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Unnata-sthāna

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī to proceed north to an elevated sacred place by the Ṛṣitoya bank; pilgrims ascend a gentle rise; a riverbank shrine and flags flutter in coastal wind.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī
• Unnata-sthāna
• Ṛṣitoya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Māhātmya frames pilgrimage as a guided movement through a sacred landscape where each direction holds a sanctifying station.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Unnata-sthāna, an ‘elevated’ sacred location on the bank of Ṛṣitoya within Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction: proceed to the Unnata-sthāna; no specific rite is stated in this verse.