Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि पुष्करारण्यमुत्तमम् । तस्मादीशानकोणस्थं धनुषां षष्टिभिः स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi puṣkarāraṇyamuttamam | tasmādīśānakoṇasthaṃ dhanuṣāṃ ṣaṣṭibhiḥ sthitam

Translation

Īśvara dit : « Alors, ô Grande Déesse, qu’on se rende à l’excellente forêt de Puṣkara. De là, vers le nord-est, à une distance de soixante longueurs d’arc, cela se trouve établi. »

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन; कर्ता (speaker tag)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: then/from there)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद; विधेय (should go)

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-devī (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन; संबोधन

• puṣkarāraṇyam: the Puṣkara forest
• puṣkarāraṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣkara-araṇya (प्रातिपदिक; पुष्कर + अरण्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन; कर्म

• uttamam: excellent
• uttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (to araṇyam)

• tasmāt: from there
• tasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tasmāt (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक tad)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादानार्थक (ablatival adverb: from there/from that)

• īśānakoṇastham: situated in the northeast corner
• īśānakoṇastham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īśāna-koṇa-stha (प्रातिपदिक; ईशान + कोण + स्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (to implied ‘place/kuṇḍa’)

• dhanuṣām: of bows (as a measure)
• dhanuṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति (6th/Genitive); बहुवचन; परिमाण-सम्बन्ध (measure)

• ṣaṣṭibhiḥ: by sixty
• ṣaṣṭibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṣaṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक; संख्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental); बहुवचन; करण (measure by)

• sthitam: situated/placed
• sthitam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (placed/situated)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara-araṇya (Prabhāsa itinerary locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī/Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva speaks to Devī, pointing toward the northeast; a forest grove labeled Puṣkara-araṇya appears with a path leading to a marked shrine/spot at a measured distance; pilgrims follow the indicated route.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Puṣkarāraṇya
• Īśānakoṇa (northeast)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as a disciplined journey—moving through sanctified landscapes with mindful direction and purpose.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Puṣkarāraṇya (the Puṣkara forest), introduced as a sacred destination within the Prabhāsa Kṣetra circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A travel instruction is given: proceed to Puṣkarāraṇya and locate the next sacred point to the northeast at a stated distance.