Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

स्वयंभूलिंगरूपेण रुद्रस्तत्र स्वयं स्थितः । एकविंशति वारस्य भक्त्या पिंडस्य यत्फलम्

Transliteration

svayaṃbhūliṃgarūpeṇa rudrastatra svayaṃ sthitaḥ | ekaviṃśati vārasya bhaktyā piṃḍasya yatphalam

Translation

Dort weilt Rudra selbst in der Gestalt eines selbstoffenbarten Liṅga (svayambhū-liṅga). Welches Verdienst auch immer man erlangt, wenn man mit Bhakti einundzwanzig Tage lang Piṇḍa darbringt—

Word by Word

• स्वयंभूलिंगरूपेण: in the form of a self-manifest liṅga
• स्वयंभूलिंगरूपेण: Karaṇa (Instrument/Mode)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वयंभू + लिङ्ग + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (स्वयंभू-लिङ्गस्य रूपम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental: ‘in the form of’)

• रुद्रः: Rudra (Śiva)
• रुद्रः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic adverb)

• स्थितः: abiding; stationed
• स्थितः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘rudraḥ’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle, active sense), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘standing/abiding’

• एकविंशति: twenty-one
• एकविंशति: Viśeṣaṇa (Numerical qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकविंशति (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; अत्र ‘एकविंशति (21)’ इति संख्या, ‘vārasya’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• वारस्य: of (a) day/period
• वारस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (genitive)

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karaṇa (Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental)

• पिंडस्य: of the piṇḍa (funeral offering)
• पिंडस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (genitive)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Relative qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative) qualifying ‘phalam’

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karta/Viṣaya (Subject/Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Svayaṃbhū Rudra-liṅga (Bhūliṅga) at Prabhāsa near Govatsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A svayaṃbhū liṅga shrine in Prabhāsa: Rudra’s presence felt as a luminous aura; a devotee performs piṇḍa-offering with kuśa grass and water, counting days of observance (21) with a rosary or tally marks.

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Svayaṁbhū Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion offered at a self-manifest form of Śiva multiplies merit, emphasizing faith (bhakti) as the heart of tīrtha-ritual.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where Rudra is said to be present as a Svayaṁbhū Liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Piṇḍa-offering (śrāddha-related oblation) performed with devotion for a period of twenty-one days.