Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

विषुवं वहते तत्र नृणामद्यापि पार्वति । पंचलिंगानि तत्रैव पंचवक्त्राणि कानि चित्

Transliteration

viṣuvaṃ vahate tatra nṛṇāmadyāpi pārvati | paṃcaliṃgāni tatraiva paṃcavaktrāṇi kāni cit

Translation

Même aujourd’hui, ô Pārvatī, les hommes y observent l’équinoxe. Et là même se trouvent cinq liṅgas, dont certains portent cinq visages.

Word by Word

• विषुवम्: equinox; balance-point
• विषुवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• वहते: carries; bears
• वहते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद (Present, 3rd person, Singular, Ātmanepada)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of place)

• नृणाम्: of men; of people
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (Masculine, Genitive, Plural)

• अद्यापि: even today; still now
• अद्यापि: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—कालवाचक + निपात (temporal adverb + particle)

• पार्वति: O Pārvatī
• पार्वति: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्वती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Vocative, Singular)

• पञ्चलिङ्गानि: five liṅgas
• पञ्चलिङ्गानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या) + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Plural); द्विगु-समास (numeral compound)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb of place)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—अवधारण-निपात (particle of emphasis/limitation)

• पञ्चवक्त्राणि: five-faced (ones); five mouths
• पञ्चवक्त्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या) + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Plural); द्विगु-समास

• कानि: some; certain
• कानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Plural); अनिश्चित-विशेषण (indefinite/interrogative pronoun used adjectivally)

• चित्: ever; at all (forming ‘some’)
• चित्: Visheshana (Indefinitizing particle/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—अनिश्चितार्थक-निपात (indefinite particle, used with interrogatives)

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhallukā Tīrtha (pañca-liṅga locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the equinox, sunlight falls evenly on a small sacred enclosure; five liṅgas stand, some with five-faced (pañcavaktra) carvings; Śiva narrates to Pārvatī as pilgrims mark the day.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Pañca-liṅga
• Pañcavaktra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prabhāsa is presented as a living sacred landscape where cosmic time (viṣuva) and embodied symbols of Śiva (liṅgas) meet.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The described locus within Prabhāsa Kṣetra that contains five liṅgas, some in pañcavaktra form.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance associated with viṣuva (equinox) is noted; details of the rite are not specified in this verse.