Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । तस्माद्दक्षिणदिग्भागे धनुषां पंचभिः प्रिये । तत्र तप्तोदकुंडानि संत्यद्यापि वरानने

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tasmāddakṣiṇadigbhāge dhanuṣāṃ paṃcabhiḥ priye | tatra taptodakuṃḍāni saṃtyadyāpi varānane

Translation

Īśvara said: From there, in the southern quarter, at a distance of five bow-lengths, O beloved; there are hot-water ponds there even today, O fair-faced one.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Parasmaipada

• तस्मात्: from there/therefore
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; Ablative

• दक्षिणदिग्भागे: in the southern region
• दक्षिणदिग्भागे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण + दिक् + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दक्षिणायाः दिशः भागः); पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• धनुषाम्: of bows (as a measure)
• धनुषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; Genitive plural (measure: 'of bows')

• पञ्चभिः: by five
• पञ्चभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (measure)

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Vocative

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Adverbial locative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• तप्तोदककुण्डानि: hot-water ponds
• तप्तोदककुण्डानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तप्त + उदक + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (तप्तम् उदकम् यस्मिन् तत् कुण्डम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• सन्ति: exist/are
• सन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; Parasmaipada

• अद्यापि: even today, still
• अद्यापि: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (अद्य एव अपि); कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• वरानने: O fair-faced one
• वरानने: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारयः (वरम् आननम् यस्याः); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Vocative

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Taptodaka-kuṇḍa (hot-water ponds) of Prabhāsa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (implied by ‘priye’, ‘varānane’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) indicates the southern quarter; steaming hot-water ponds shimmer amid sandy-coastal sacred terrain of Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Taptodaka-kuṇḍas
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The māhātmya treats the land itself as a living sacred map, where specific directions and distances guide pilgrims to purifying waters.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The cluster of Taptodaka (hot-water) kuṇḍas within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated here; it introduces the location and continued presence of the hot-water ponds.