Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

पुलस्त्य उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्नृपश्रेष्ठ गुहेश्वरमनुत्तमम् । गुहामध्ये गतं लिंगं सिद्धैः संपूजितं पुरा

Transliteration

pulastya uvāca | tato gacchennṛpaśreṣṭha guheśvaramanuttamam | guhāmadhye gataṃ liṃgaṃ siddhaiḥ saṃpūjitaṃ purā

Translation

Pulastya dit : Ensuite, ô meilleur des rois, il faut se rendre auprès de l’incomparable Guheśvara. Au cœur d’une grotte se tient un Liṅga, jadis honoré et adoré par les Siddhas.

Word by Word

• pulastyaḥ: Pulastya
• pulastyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pulastya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; वक्ता

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकारः (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रयोगः (adverb) — “thereafter/from there”

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्; विधिलिङ्गार्थे आज्ञा/विधानम्

• nṛpaśreṣṭha: O best of kings
• nṛpaśreṣṭha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa-śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक; नृप + श्रेष्ठ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्; संबोधनम्

• guheśvaram: Guheśvara (Lord of the cave)
• guheśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhā-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; गुहा + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; कर्म

• anuttamam: unsurpassed
• anuttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-uttama (प्रातिपदिक; अन् + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; guheśvaram इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• guhāmadhye: in the middle of the cave
• guhāmadhye: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guhā-madhya (प्रातिपदिक; गुहा + मध्य)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; अधिकरणम्—“in the middle of the cave”

• gatam: situated/placed
• gatam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; liṅgam इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्—“gone/placed”

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्म (गच्छेत्—प्राप्तव्य-स्थान/द्रष्टव्य-वस्तु)

• siddhaiḥ: by the Siddhas
• siddhaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम्; कर्तृकरणभावे—“by the Siddhas”

• saṃpūjitam: worshipped
• saṃpūjitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃ-pūj (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; liṅgam इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्—“worshipped”

• purā: formerly/once
• purā: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guheśvara

Type: cave

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nṛpaśreṣṭha (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pulastya guides the king to Guheśvara: a liṅga deep inside a cave, lit by lamps; Siddhas in ancient times are envisioned offering worship; the cave mouth opens to a mountainous landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Pulastya
• Guheśvara
• Śiva-liṅga
• Siddhas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is guided devotion: approaching an ancient, Siddha-worshipped liṅga connects the devotee to a living lineage of Śaiva sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Guheśvara—an eminent cave-shrine with a liṅga revered by Siddhas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directive to visit (gacchet) Guheśvara and worship the cave-situated liṅga.