Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

प्रतिज्ञेश्वरमित्येव लिंगं परमशोभनम् । अष्टम्यां बहुले चात्र चैत्रे स्नात्वा उपोष्य च

Transliteration

pratijñeśvaramityeva liṃgaṃ paramaśobhanam | aṣṭamyāṃ bahule cātra caitre snātvā upoṣya ca

Translation

Ce Liṅga d’une splendeur suprême est nommé «Pratijñeśvara». Ici, au huitième jour lunaire de la quinzaine sombre de Caitra, après s’être baigné et avoir observé le jeûne…

Word by Word

• pratijñeśvaram: Pratijñeśvara (Lord of the vow/promise)
• pratijñeśvaram: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratijñā-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: प्रतिज्ञायाः ईश्वरः); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Accusative Singular)

• iti: thus (named)
• iti: Sambandha (Naming/quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• liṃgam: liṅga
• liṃgam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Accusative Singular)

• paramaśobhanam: supremely beautiful
• paramaśobhanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama-śobhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (परमं शोभनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (agreeing with liṅgam)

• aṣṭamyām: on the eighth (tithi)
• aṣṭamyām: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative Singular)

• bahule: in the dark fortnight
• bahule: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative Singular); पक्षविशेषे ‘बहुलपक्षे’ (dark fortnight)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• caitre: in (the month of) Caitra
• caitre: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (मास-नाम); सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative Singular)

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); √स्ना (to bathe)

• upoṣya: having fasted
• upoṣya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√vas (धातु) + ya (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive); उपोष्य = उपवासं कृत्वा; √वस् (to dwell/fast) with उपसर्ग उप-

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Narrator (continuing the Mahatmya statement)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pratijñeśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The splendid liṅga is revealed and named Pratijñeśvara; devotees bathe and undertake fasting on Caitra dark-half aṣṭamī, preparing for worship.

Characters & Entities

• Pratijñeśvara (Śiva-liṅga)
• Caitra (month)
• Aṣṭamī (tithi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A properly timed vrata—rooted in bathing and fasting—turns a sacred site into a direct instrument of purification and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pratijñeśvara Liṅga-sthala is explicitly praised as a named shrine within this sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

On Caitra kṛṣṇa-pakṣa aṣṭamī: perform snāna (ritual bath) and upavāsa (fast), as part of worship at Pratijñeśvara.