Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा गौर्याथ कटकं पर्वतस्य मनोहरम् । लिंगाकारं महाराज पूजयामास सा तदा

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā gauryātha kaṭakaṃ parvatasya manoharam | liṃgākāraṃ mahārāja pūjayāmāsa sā tadā

Translation

O great king, then Gaurī, seeing the delightful Kaṭaka of the mountain, bearing the form of a liṅga, worshipped it at that very time.

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/पूर्वकालिक)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; धातु: दृश्

• गौर्या: by Gaurī
• गौर्या: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse marker (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्ध/अनन्तरार्थक अव्यय (particle: then/now)

• कटकम्: a peak/summit (kaṭaka)
• कटकम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कटक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• पर्वतस्य: of the mountain
• पर्वतस्य: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• मनोहरम्: beautiful/charming
• मनोहरम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोहर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (कटकम्)

• लिङ्गाकारम्: a liṅga-shaped form
• लिङ्गाकारम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग + आकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: लिङ्गस्य आकारः

• महाराज: O great king
• महाराज: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; कर्मधारय: महान् राजा

• पूजयामास: worshipped
• पूजयामास: Kriya (मुख्यक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; धातु: पूज्; (परिप्रयोग: पूजयामास = पूजयाम् + आस)

• सा: she
• सा: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Pulastya (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kaṭaka-liṅga (liṅgākāra kaṭaka) of Arbuda

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaurī arrives at a charming mountain ‘kaṭaka’—a ridge shaped like a liṅga. She immediately begins worship, offering flowers and water, her posture composed and intensely devotional against a dramatic rocky backdrop.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Kaṭaka (place-name)
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Recognizing the sacred (liṅga-form) and responding with worship is portrayed as the foundation of tīrtha sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kaṭaka/Kaṭeśvara—connected with Gaurī’s worship of a liṅga-formed spot on the mountain.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā (worship) of the liṅga at the site.