Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

वाराणसी कुरुक्षेत्रं महा कालं च नैमिषम् । एतत्तीर्थाष्टकं देवि तस्मिंल्लिंगे व्यवस्थितम्

Transliteration

vārāṇasī kurukṣetraṃ mahā kālaṃ ca naimiṣam | etattīrthāṣṭakaṃ devi tasmiṃlliṃge vyavasthitam

Translation

Vārāṇasī, Kurukṣetra, Mahākāla, and Naimiṣa—O Devī—this entire group of eight sacred tīrthas is established within that very Liṅga.

Word by Word

• vārāṇasī: Vārāṇasī
• vārāṇasī: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vārāṇasī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular (name of a tīrtha)

• kurukṣetram: Kurukṣetra
• kurukṣetram: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuru + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः — accusative singular

• mahā: great
• mahā: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद — ‘great’

• kālam: Mahākāla
• kālam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; ‘mahā-kālam’ कर्मधारयसमासः — accusative singular (name of a tīrtha/Śiva)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक — ‘and’

• naimiṣam: Naimiṣa
• naimiṣam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naimiṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन — accusative singular (name of a tīrtha)

• etat: this
• etat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद — ‘this’

• tīrtha: tīrtha
• tīrtha: Upapada (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक; समासपूर्वपद — ‘pilgrimage place’

• aṣṭakam: the set of eight tīrthas
• aṣṭakam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (tīrtha + aṣṭaka ‘group of eight’) — nominative singular

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन — vocative singular

• tasmin: in that
• tasmin: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — locative singular

• liṅge: in the liṅga
• liṅge: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — locative singular

• vyavasthitam: is established/located
• vyavasthitam: Karta (Subject complement/कर्तृपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + ava + √sthā (धातु) + vyavasthita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — nominative singular; agrees with etat-tīrthāṣṭakam

Speaker

Śiva (in dialogue with Devī/Pārvatī, inferred)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrthāṣṭaka-sannihita Liṅga at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a shrine, a radiant liṅga stands; around it appear subtle visionary vignettes: Kāśī ghāṭas, Kurukṣetra plains, Mahākāla’s Ujjain temple aura, and Naimiṣa forest-wheel symbolism—suggesting eight tīrthas residing within one liṅga as the Devī listens.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Kurukṣetra
• Mahākāla
• Naimiṣa
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A single sacred emblem (liṅga) can serve as a spiritual nexus, concentrating the merit of many famed pilgrimage centers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A Liṅga at Prabhāsa Kṣetra, described as containing the power of multiple renowned tīrthas such as Kāśī and Naimiṣa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse identifies the liṅga as the seat of a tīrtha-aṣṭaka (eightfold tīrtha presence).