Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

तस्योत्तरे तु दिग्भागे किञ्चिदीशानमाश्रितः । चतुर्वक्त्रो महादेवि क्षेत्रपो लिंगरूपधृक्

Transliteration

tasyottare tu digbhāge kiñcidīśānamāśritaḥ | caturvaktro mahādevi kṣetrapo liṃgarūpadhṛk

Translation

Al norte de allí, ligeramente inclinado hacia el cuadrante de Īśāna (noreste), oh Gran Diosa, se halla el guardián del campo sagrado, de cuatro rostros, que porta la forma de un liṅga.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Genitive singular

• उत्तरे: to the north / in the northern (part)
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात — particle

• दिग्भागे: in the directional region/sector
• दिग्भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दिशः भागः) — Masculine, Locative singular

• किञ्चित्: slightly/somewhat
• किञ्चित्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किञ्चित् (अव्यय/सर्वनाम)
• Form: परिमाण/अल्पत्ववाचक-अव्यय — indeclinable (a little/somewhat)

• ईशानम्: Īśāna (the northeast/Īśāna aspect)
• ईशानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular

• आश्रितः: having resorted to / situated near
• आश्रितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √श्रि (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Past participle, Masculine nominative singular

• चतुर्वक्त्रः: four-faced
• चतुर्वक्त्रः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (चत्वारि वक्त्राणि यस्य) — Masculine, Nominative singular

• महादेवि: O Mahādevī
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः — Feminine, Vocative singular

• क्षेत्रपः: guardian of the sacred field
• क्षेत्रपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षेत्रस्य पः/पालकः) — Masculine, Nominative singular

• लिङ्गरूपधृक्: bearing the form of a liṅga
• लिङ्गरूपधृक्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + √धृ (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘धृक्’ (धारयति इति) वर्तमानकृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गरूपं धारयन्) — Masculine, Nominative singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣetrapāla-liṅga (Caturvaktra) at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (addressed as mahādevi)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A boundary shrine to the north-northeast: a liṅga embodying a four-faced guardian (caturvaktra), standing vigilant as protector of the field, with directional markers and ritual lamps.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva
• Śaṅkara
• Kṣetrapa
• Īśāna (direction)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is not merely a location; it is a protected sacred field where Śiva’s presence is established and safeguarded through a kṣetrapāla principle.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya), with a specific northern/northeastern precinct marked by a liṅga-form guardian.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse identifies the sacred orientation and the guardian-liṅga presence as part of the kṣetra’s māhātmya.