Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

प्रभावातिशयं ज्ञात्वा स्थापयामास शंकरम् । तत्र प्रत्यक्षतां नीतस्तपसा येन शंकरः

Transliteration

prabhāvātiśayaṃ jñātvā sthāpayāmāsa śaṃkaram | tatra pratyakṣatāṃ nītastapasā yena śaṃkaraḥ

Translation

Da er die außergewöhnliche Erhabenheit jenes Ortes erkannte, errichtete er dort Śaṅkara; und durch seine Askese wurde Śaṅkara an eben jener Stelle zur sichtbaren Erscheinung gebracht.

Word by Word

• prabhāva-atiśayam: the extraordinary power/excellence
• prabhāva-atiśayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + atiśaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रभावस्य अतिशयः)

• jñātvā: having known
• jñātvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; धातु: ज्ञा (9P/2P)

• sthāpayāmāsa: he established/installed
• sthāpayāmāsa: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु) + ṇic (प्रेरण)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; causative (स्थापयति)

• śaṃkaram: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṃkaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: ‘there’)

• pratyakṣatām: manifest presence/visibility
• pratyakṣatām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyakṣatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• nītaḥ: was brought/led
• nītaḥ: Kriyā (Predicate-participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nī (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘नीतः’ = नीतः (brought/led)

• tapasā: by austerity/penance
• tapasā: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• yena: by whom/whereby
• yena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (‘by whom/whereby’)

• śaṃkaraḥ: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• śaṃkaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaṃkara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continued narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṅkara-pratyakṣa-sthāna at Prabhāsa (Kubera-established)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣi audience (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At Prabhāsa, Kubera recognizes the site’s surpassing power and establishes a Śaṅkara-liṅga; through fierce tapas, Śiva appears tangibly—radiant, ash-smeared, with crescent moon and trident—emerging in light from the liṅga as devotees witness the epiphany.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Tapas
• Prabhāsa (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity and sincere devotion can culminate in direct experience (pratyakṣa) of the divine, especially at empowered tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, where Śaṅkara is said to become directly manifest through devotion.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpanā (establishing a Śiva emblem) and tapas (austerity) leading to divine darśana.