Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि वसूनां लिंगमुत्तमम् । सोमेशादीशदिग्भागे पञ्चाशद्धनुषान्तरे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi vasūnāṃ liṃgamuttamam | someśādīśadigbhāge pañcāśaddhanuṣāntare

Translation

Īśvara dit : Ensuite, ô Grande Déesse, il faut se rendre au Liṅga excellent des Vasus. Il se trouve au nord-est de Someśa, à une distance de cinquante longueurs d’arc.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (वचने)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; ततः = ‘thereafter/from there’ (adverb)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (गत्यर्थे)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• महादेवि: O great Goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वसूनाम्: of the Vasus
• वसूनाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); ‘लिङ्गम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• सोमेशात्: from (the shrine of) Someśa
• सोमेशात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोमेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ईशदिग्भागे: in the northeastern quarter-region
• ईशदिग्भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक) + दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पञ्चाशत्: fifty
• पञ्चाशत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चाशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; ‘धनुषान्तरे’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (fifty)

• धनुषा: by a bow-length (as measure)
• धनुषा: Karana (Measure/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular)

• अन्तरे: at a distance/within the interval
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/Measure/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vasūnāṃ Liṅga (Vasu-liṅga) near Someśa; later identified here with Pratyūṣeśvara contextually

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, as teacher, points out the route within Prabhāsa: from the Someśa shrine toward the northeast, indicating the ‘Vasus’ liṅga as a waypoint in a sacred mandala.

Characters & Entities

• Vasus
• Vasūnāṃ Liṅga
• Someśa
• Īśāna (northeast direction)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The māhātmya preserves sacred geography: devotion is guided through precise pilgrimage directions to holy shrines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Vasūnāṃ Liṅga within Prabhāsa-kṣetra, located relative to the shrine of Someśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction: proceed to the Vasūnāṃ Liṅga, specified by direction (northeast) and distance (fifty bow-lengths) from Someśa.