Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

स लिंगं पूजयामास त्रिकालं भक्तिभावितः । एकाहारो जिताहारो भूभिशायी जितेंद्रियः

Transliteration

sa liṃgaṃ pūjayāmāsa trikālaṃ bhaktibhāvitaḥ | ekāhāro jitāhāro bhūbhiśāyī jiteṃdriyaḥ

Translation

Von Hingabe erfüllt verehrte er den Liṅga dreimal am Tag. Er nahm nur eine Mahlzeit täglich zu sich, zügelte die Nahrung, schlief auf der Erde und bezwang seine Sinne.

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पूजयामास: worshipped
• पूजयामास: Kriya (क्रिया/Finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्रिकालम्: thrice daily
• त्रिकालम्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्रि + काल (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial) अर्थे ‘त्रिषु कालेषु/three times a day’

• भक्तिभावितः: imbued with devotion
• भक्तिभावितः: Karta-visheshana (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति + भावित (कृदन्त; √भू/भाव्)
• Form: भक्त्या भावितः इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुष; भावित (क्त-प्रत्यय/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• एकाहारः: having one meal (a day)
• एकाहारः: Karta-visheshana (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + आहार (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: एकः आहारः यस्य/एकाहारः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• जिताहारः: having conquered appetite/diet
• जिताहारः: Karta-visheshana (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित (कृदन्त; √जि) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: जितः आहारः यस्य; जित (क्त-प्रत्यय/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• भूभिशायी: sleeping on the ground
• भूभिशायी: Karta-visheshana (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूभि (भू + भि; प्रातिपदिक) + शायी (कृदन्त; √शी)
• Form: भूभौ शायी इति सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष; शायी (णिनि/इन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• जितेन्द्रियः: self-controlled (having conquered the senses)
• जितेन्द्रियः: Karta-visheshana (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित (कृदन्त; √जि) + इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: जितानि इन्द्रियाणि येन; (बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः) रूपतः तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Prabhāsa Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vṛṣabheśa (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Ikṣvāku performs trikāla worship before the liṅga—morning, noon, evening—shown as three vignettes: offering water/flowers, midday lamp, evening incense; he eats once, sleeps on the ground, and sits in calm mastery of senses.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady worship joined with self-restraint (diet, sleep, senses) intensifies devotion and makes pilgrimage-practice spiritually effective.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where the Liṅga worship is performed as part of the site’s Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Trikāla-pūjā of the Liṅga, along with ascetic observances: ekāhāra (single meal), regulated diet, sleeping on the ground, and sense-control.