Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि तृतीयां चत्वरप्रियाम् । ललितापूर्वदिग्भागे दशधन्वंतरे स्थिताम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi tṛtīyāṃ catvarapriyām | lalitāpūrvadigbhāge daśadhanvaṃtare sthitām

Translation

Īśvara sprach: „Dann, o Mahādevī, soll man zur Dritten Göttin gehen, der an den Kreuzwegen (catvara) Geliebten. Sie befindet sich östlich von Lalitā, in einer Entfernung von zehn Dhanus.“

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'then/from there')

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपदम्

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (great goddess)

• तृतीयाम्: to the Tṛtīyā (shrine/spot named ‘Third’)
• तृतीयाम्: Karma (Goal/object of going/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tṛtīyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• चत्वर-प्रियाम्: beloved of the crossroads/square
• चत्वर-प्रियाम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: catvara (प्रातिपदिक) + priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (catvarasya priyā = dear to the crossroads/square)

• ललिता-पूर्व-दिक्-भागे: in Lalitā’s eastern quarter
• ललिता-पूर्व-दिक्-भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lalitā (प्रातिपदिक) + pūrva (प्रातिपदिक) + diś (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (in the eastern directional region of Lalitā)

• दश-धन्वन्तरे: at (a distance of) ten dhanus
• दश-धन्वन्तरे: Adhikarana (Measure-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + dhanvantara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; द्विगु (at a distance of ten dhanus)

• स्थिताम्: situated
• स्थिताम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (कृदन्त; √sthā धातोः क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; क्तान्त विशेषण, तृतीयाम् इति विशेष्य

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tṛtīyā (catvara-priyā devī-sthāna) east of Lalitā

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara instructs Mahādevī, pointing eastward from Lalitā’s shrine; a crossroads with four paths; a small devī-sanctum ahead; pilgrims moving in orderly procession.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Tṛtīyā (Third Devī/shrine)
• Catvara (crossroads/square)
• Lalitā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a guided, intentional movement through sacred space, where each shrine has a precise place and purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The “Third” Devī shrine associated with the catvara (crossroads) in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, located east of the Lalitā shrine.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prescription to visit (gacchet) the shrine; no specific rite is detailed in this verse.