Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

चत्वारि त्रीणि चैकं वा यथाशक्त्याभिपूज्य च । लिंगानि तानि संपूज्य शक्तीस्तिस्रस्ततोऽर्चयेत्

Transliteration

catvāri trīṇi caikaṃ vā yathāśaktyābhipūjya ca | liṃgāni tāni saṃpūjya śaktīstisrastato'rcayet

Translation

Verehre vier, oder drei, oder auch nur einen—je nach deiner Kraft. Nachdem jene Liṅgas gebührend verehrt sind, soll man danach die drei Śaktis anbeten.

Word by Word

• catvāri: four
• catvāri: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catur (प्रातिपदिक; numeral)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम्

• trīṇi: three
• trīṇi: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक; numeral)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम्

• ca: or/and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• ekam: one
• ekam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक; numeral)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्याविशेषणम्

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (disjunctive particle)

• yathāśaktyā: according to one’s ability
• yathāśaktyā: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā-śakti (प्रातिपदिक; यथा + शक्ति)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (adverbial)

• abhipūjya: having duly worshipped
• abhipūjya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund) with अभि-उपसर्ग

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• liṃgāni: liṅgas
• liṃgāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• tāni: those
• tāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• saṃpūjya: having worshipped completely
• saṃpūjya: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pūj (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund) with सम्-उपसर्ग

• śaktīḥ: the powers
• śaktīḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन

• tisraḥ: three
• tisraḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक; numeral)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम् (agreeing with śaktīḥ)

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Sequence/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb)

• arcayet: should worship
• arcayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: arc (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विध्यर्थ), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somnātha-Prabhāsa liṅga-mandala with śakti-traya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim/recipient of the Prabhāsa worship manual

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at Prabhāsa choose a manageable set of liṅga shrines—some worship four, some three, some one—then gather before three Devi icons representing the śakti-traya for concluding homage.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Liṅga
• Three Śaktis (Icchā/Kriyā/Jñāna)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere devotion is accepted even when practice is limited by circumstance; what matters is completing worship with reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, through its prescribed pattern of liṅga-pūjā and śakti-arcana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform liṅga-pūjā (four/three/one as able), then worship the three śaktis afterward.