Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

गुहेन स्थापितः पूर्वं यत्र देवो महेश्वरः । गुहेश्वरान्नातिदूरे वटेश्वरमिति स्मृतम्

Transliteration

guhena sthāpitaḥ pūrvaṃ yatra devo maheśvaraḥ | guheśvarānnātidūre vaṭeśvaramiti smṛtam

Translation

Dort wurde einst der Gott Maheśvara von Guha eingesetzt. Nicht weit von Guheśvara liegt ein Ort, der als Vaṭeśvara in Erinnerung ist.

Word by Word

• guhena: by Guha (Kārttikeya)
• guhena: Karaṇa/Karta-instr (करण/कर्तृ-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• sthāpitaḥ: was established
• sthāpitaḥ: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) (णिच् causative: sthāpaya-)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि (passive)

• pūrvam: formerly
• pūrvam: Kāla (काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb: formerly/previously)

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• devaḥ: the god
• devaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• mahā-īśvaraḥ: Maheśvara (the Great Lord)
• mahā-īśvaraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय; devaḥ इति समानाधिकरण

• guheśvarāt: from Guheśvara
• guheśvarāt: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guheśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (negation particle)

• ati-dūre: too far (away)
• ati-dūre: Deśa (देश/स्थान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + dūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव (ati + dūre), स्थानवाचक (locative sense: too far)

• vaṭa-īśvaram: Vaṭeśvara
• vaṭa-īśvaram: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वटस्य ईश्वरः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष); (tīrtham/linga-name)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/quotative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-कारक अव्यय (quotative particle)

• smṛtam: is remembered/called
• smṛtam: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: smṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guheśvara; Vaṭeśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Guha (Kārttikeya) installs a radiant Śiva-liṅga (Guheśvara) in ancient time; nearby stands a banyan-associated shrine Vaṭeśvara, indicating a sacred grove and clustered worship.

Characters & Entities

• Guha (Skanda/Kārttikeya)
• Maheśvara (Śiva)
• Guheśvara
• Vaṭeśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holy places are sanctified through divine installation and remembrance; proximity of shrines forms a sacred pilgrimage circuit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Guheśvara and the nearby Vaṭeśvara in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse implies liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (installation) as the sanctifying act, though no specific ritual steps are described.