Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

एवमुक्ता ततो गंगा सत्वरैत्यात्र पर्वते । लिंगमन्वेषयामास चिरकालादवाप सा

Transliteration

evamuktā tato gaṃgā satvaraityātra parvate | liṃgamanveṣayāmāsa cirakālādavāpa sā

Translation

Ainsi interpellée, Gaṅgā se hâta vers cette montagne et se mit en quête d’un liṅga ; après longtemps, elle le trouva et l’obtint.

Word by Word

• evamuktā: thus addressed/so spoken to
• evamuktā: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: evam-uktā (कृदन्त; एवम् + उक्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP) from √vac (वच्) ‘said’, with एवम् as adverbial first member; विशेषण (qualifying gaṃgā)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/‘then’)

• gaṃgā: Gaṅgā
• gaṃgā: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

• satvarā: quickly
• satvarā: Sambandha (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: satvarā (अव्यय/स्त्री-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb/‘quickly, hastily’; satvaram/satvarā usage)

• etya: having come
• etya: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (धातु; √इ)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (gerund/अव्ययकृदन्त) from √i ‘to go’; ‘having come’

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

• parvate: on the mountain
• parvate: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• anveṣayāmāsa: searched for
• anveṣayāmāsa: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu-√iṣ (धातु; अनु + √इष्/इष् ‘to seek’)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative stem anveṣay-)

• cirakālāt: after a long time
• cirakālāt: Apadana (Source/Separation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cira-kāla (प्रातिपदिक; चिर + काल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (from/after)

• avāpa: obtained/found
• avāpa: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु; ava + √āp)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sā: she
• sā: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक; स-प्रोनाउन)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता

Speaker

Pulastya (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda liṅga (to be found)

Type: peak

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Rājendra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṅgā, personified as a luminous goddess with river motifs, hastens toward Arbuda and searches among rocks and forested slopes for a liṅga; time passes, emphasizing endurance until discovery.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Mountain (Arbuda setting)
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Earnest seeking in devotion is rewarded; perseverance becomes a sanctifying force in sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda mountain setting connected to the emergence/establishment of the Gaṅgeśvara liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it narrates the devotional quest that leads to a worship-site.