Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि देवं गुरुनिषेवितम् । उमायाः पूर्वदिग्भागे सिद्धेशाग्नेयगोचरे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi devaṃ guruniṣevitam | umāyāḥ pūrvadigbhāge siddheśāgneyagocare

Translation

Īśvara said: “Then, O great Goddess, one should go to that deity who is attended and served by the Guru. It is in Umā’s eastern quarter, within the south‑eastern precinct of Siddheśa.”

Word by Word

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

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

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb): ‘thereupon/then’

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-devī (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• devam: to the god
• devam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• guru-niṣevitam: served/attended by the guru
• guru-niṣevitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guru + niṣevita (कृदन्त; नि-सेव् (धातु) क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम्—देवम् इति विशेषणम् (‘served by the guru’)

• umāyāḥ: of Umā
• umāyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: umā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध

• pūrva-dig-bhāge: in the eastern quarter/part
• pūrva-dig-bhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva + diś + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; अधिकरणे (‘in the part of the eastern direction’)

• siddheśa-āgneya-gocare: in the Siddheśa area, in the southeast range
• siddheśa-āgneya-gocare: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siddha-īśa + āgneya + gocara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषणम्—(pūrvadigbhāge) इति अधिकरणस्य विशेषणम् (‘within the range of Siddheśa in the southeast’)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Deity served by Guru (likely a Guru/Bṛhaspati-associated shrine) within Siddheśa precinct, Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Umā/Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara speaking to Mahādevī (Umā/Pārvatī), pointing toward the southeast of Siddheśa; a mapped mandala-like temple complex with cardinal directions; a shrine where Bṛhaspati (Guru) is shown in attendance/serving.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Īśvara)
• Umā
• Siddheśa
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as sacred geography—approaching specific liṅgas with guidance (guru) is portrayed as a dhārmic path.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A shrine/देव associated with “guruniṣevita” in the Siddheśa south-eastern precinct within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yātrā-instruction: ‘one should go’ (gacchet) to the specified deity/shrine.