Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि देवीं मंत्रविभूषणाम् । भीमेश्वरस्य सान्निध्ये सोमेनाराधितां पुरा

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi devīṃ maṃtravibhūṣaṇām | bhīmeśvarasya sānnidhye somenārādhitāṃ purā

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „Dann, o große Devī, soll man zur Göttin Mantravibhūṣaṇā gehen. In der Nähe von Bhīmeśvara weilt sie – jene, die einst von Soma (dem Mond) verehrt wurde.“

Word by Word

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

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Temporal (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (adverb: thereafter)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Addressed (सम्बोध्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• devīm: the goddess
• devīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• mantra-vibhūṣaṇām: adorned with mantras
• mantra-vibhūṣaṇām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + vibhūṣaṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मन्त्रैः विभूषिता/मन्त्रविभूषणयुक्ता); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (देवीम्)

• bhīmeśvarasya: of Bhīmeśvara
• bhīmeśvarasya: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhīma (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भीमः ईश्वरः); पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• sānnidhye: in the vicinity/presence
• sānnidhye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sānnidhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• somena: by Soma
• somena: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ārādhitām: worshipped
• ārādhitām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-rādh (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (देवीम्)

• purā: formerly
• purā: Temporal (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: formerly)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mantravibhūṣaṇā (Gaurī) near Bhīmeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī on the next station of pilgrimage: a radiant Goddess ‘Mantravibhūṣaṇā’ seated near the Bhīmeśvara liṅga; Soma is shown in the background offering arghya and flowers, moonlight bathing the shrine precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Mantravibhūṣaṇā (Gaurī)
• Bhīmeśvara
• Soma (Candra)
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred sites gain authority through divine precedent: even Soma’s worship becomes a model for devotees seeking grace at the shrine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mantravibhūṣaṇā (Gaurī) situated near Bhīmeśvara within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage directive—go to the Devī at Bhīmeśvara’s vicinity and worship, following the exemplary worship of Soma.