Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । तस्मादुत्तरदिग्भागे धनुषामष्टभिः प्रिये । बकुलस्वामिनं सूर्यं तं पश्येद्दुःखनाशनम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tasmāduttaradigbhāge dhanuṣāmaṣṭabhiḥ priye | bakulasvāminaṃ sūryaṃ taṃ paśyedduḥkhanāśanam

Translation

Īśvara said: “From there, O beloved, in the northern quarter at a distance of eight dhanuṣ, one should behold Sūrya known as Bakula-svāmin—he who destroys sorrow.”

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tasmāt: from there/thereafter
• tasmāt: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• uttara-dik-bhāge: in the northern quarter/part
• uttara-dik-bhāge: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: uttara-dik-bhāga (प्रातिपदिक; उत्तर + दिक् + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• dhanuṣām: of bows (as a measure)
• dhanuṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• aṣṭabhiḥ: by eight
• aṣṭabhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक

• priye: O beloved (lady)
• priye: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• bakula-svāminam: Bakulasvāmin (lord of Bakula)
• bakula-svāminam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bakula-svāmin (प्रातिपदिक; बकुल + स्वामिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• sūryam: the Sun (deity)
• sūryam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sūrya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; apposition to bakula-svāminam

• tam: him
• tam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• paśyet: should see
• paśyet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु; √दृश्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• duḥkha-nāśanam: destroyer of sorrow
• duḥkha-nāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha-nāśana (प्रातिपदिक; दुःख + नाशन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (of ‘tam/sūryam’)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bakula-svāmin (Sūrya)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Priye/Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva directs Devī northward; a radiant Sūrya shrine named Bakula-svāmin appears with lotus and bakula blossoms, sunlight beams dispelling a pilgrim’s shadowy sorrow.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Bakula-svāmin
• Sūrya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is a spiritual discipline: the pilgrim is guided step-by-step to healing darśanas within the holy field.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Sūrya shrine named Bakula-svāmin in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directive to go and take darśana of Bakula-svāmin Sūrya.