Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

कोटिसंख्या महादेवि मन्त्रजाप्यपरायणाः । सम्यक्संस्थाप्य ते लिंगं कपालेशसमीपगम्

Transliteration

koṭisaṃkhyā mahādevi mantrajāpyaparāyaṇāḥ | samyaksaṃsthāpya te liṃgaṃ kapāleśasamīpagam

Translation

Ils étaient au nombre d’un koṭi, ô Mahādevī, entièrement voués à la récitation des mantras. Après l’avoir établi comme il se doit, ils consacrèrent un liṅga près de Kapāleśa.

Word by Word

• koṭi-saṃkhyāḥ: numbering in crores
• koṭi-saṃkhyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādevī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः (Vocative), एकवचनम्

• mantra-jāpya-parāyaṇāḥ: devoted to mantra-recitation
• mantra-jāpya-parāyaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mantra (प्रातिपदिक) + jāpya (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त-भाव) + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• samyak: properly
• samyak: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• saṃsthāpya: having स्थापित/installed
• saṃsthāpya: Kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sam-√sthā (धाातु) + ṇic? (causative sense) → saṃsthāpya (क्त्वान्त/ल्यप्)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययम् (gerund/absolutive, -ya); पूर्वक्रिया (having done)

• te: your
• te: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (Genitive/6th) एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्

• kapāla-īśa-samīpa-gam: situated near Kapāleśa
• kapāla-īśa-samīpa-gam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kapāla (प्रातिपदिक) + īśa (प्रातिपदिक) + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + gam (प्रातिपदिक; गम्-सम्बद्ध)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (liṅgam इति विशेष्यस्य)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapāleśvara-samīpa liṅga (newly established)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī/Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast assembly—said to be a crore—of mantra-absorbed Pāśupatas solemnly installs a liṅga near Kapāleśa, with ritual order, sacred vessels, and a charged atmosphere of collective devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī
• Kapāleśa/Kapāleśvara
• Liṅga
• Mantra-japa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Collective devotion—mantra-japa joined with sacred installation—creates enduring holy centers that bless future pilgrims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A liṅga-site near Kapāleśvara in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, connected with the Koṭīśvara tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Mantra-japa (recitation) and liṅga-saṃsthāpana (proper establishment/installation) are explicitly referenced.