Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

शतं चैव सहस्राणां देवेशं शशिभूषणम् । पूजयंति महासिद्धा मम क्षेत्रनिषेविणः

Transliteration

śataṃ caiva sahasrāṇāṃ deveśaṃ śaśibhūṣaṇam | pūjayaṃti mahāsiddhā mama kṣetraniṣeviṇaḥ

Translation

Hundreds and thousands of great Siddhas—those who dwell in and serve my sacred region—worship the Lord of gods, Śiva, adorned with the moon.

Word by Word

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular (संख्यावाचक)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय

• सहस्राणाम्: of thousands
• सहस्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन — Genitive plural

• देव-ईशम्: Lord of the gods
• देव-ईशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशः)

• शशि-भूषणम्: moon-adorned
• शशि-भूषणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शशि (प्रातिपदिक) + भूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative singular; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: ‘moon-ornamented’

• पूजयन्ति: they worship
• पूजयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Present indicative, 3rd plural

• महा-सिद्धाः: great perfected beings
• महा-सिद्धाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Nominative plural; कर्मधारय: ‘great siddhas’

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive singular (pronoun)

• क्षेत्र-निषेविणः: those who frequent my sacred field
• क्षेत्र-निषेविणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + नि + √सेव् (धातु) → निषेविन् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Nominative plural; उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘क्षेत्रं निषेवते’ = ‘one who frequents the sacred field’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa kṣetra (Candraśekhara worship zone)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-seeker/ṛṣi interlocutor (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Crowds of luminous siddhas in the air and on the ground offering flowers and lamps to Candraśekhara; Śiva’s crescent moon gleams; the kṣetra appears vibrant with continuous worship.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Deveśa
• Śaśibhūṣaṇa (moon-crested)
• Mahāsiddhas
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy kṣetra is sustained by continual worship; association with siddhas and devotion to Śiva elevates spiritual life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra as a whole—described as populated by mahāsiddhas engaged in Śiva worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-pūjā (worship of the moon-crested Lord) as the ongoing practice of the kṣetra’s perfected devotees.