Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । उमामाहेश्वरं गच्छेत्ततो राजन्सुपुण्यदम् । स्थापितं भक्तियुक्तेन धुन्धुमारेण यत्पुरा

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | umāmāheśvaraṃ gacchettato rājansupuṇyadam | sthāpitaṃ bhaktiyuktena dhundhumāreṇa yatpurā

Translation

Pulastya said: Then, O king, one should go to Umā–Māheśvara, the bestower of great merit, which in former times was established by Dhundhumāra, devoted in bhakti.

Word by Word

• पुलस्त्यः: Pulastya
• पुलस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• उमामाहेश्वरम्: (to) Umā-Māheśvara (tīrtha)
• उमामाहेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा-माहेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तीर्थ-नाम (Umā and Māheśvara)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Desha-Kala (Adverbial/देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः—अव्यय-सम्बन्ध/अपादानार्थ (from there/thereafter)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• सुपुण्यदम्: bestowing great merit
• सुपुण्यदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-पुण्य-द (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘उमामाहेश्वरम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• स्थापितम्: established
• स्थापितम्: Karma (Object-described/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘(तीर्थम्) स्थापितम्’

• भक्तियुक्तेन: by one endowed with devotion
• भक्तियुक्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति-युक्त (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; कर्तृ-विशेषण

• धुन्धुमारेण: by Dhundhumāra
• धुन्धुमारेण: Kartr (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धुन्धुमार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Desha-Kala (Adverbial/देश-काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Umā-Māheśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (rājan)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pulastya instructs the king to go to the Umā-Māheśvara shrine; visual shows the paired deities (Śiva with Umā) in a sanctum, with Dhundhumāra depicted in the past establishing the shrine with devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Umā
• Māheśvara (Śiva)
• Dhundhumāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha gains enduring sanctity through devotional establishment and grants great puṇya to pilgrims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Umā-Māheśvara (Umā-Māheśvara Tīrtha).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage/visitation (gacchet) to Umā-Māheśvara is prescribed as a merit-generating act.