Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि अक्षमालेश्वरं परम् । सागरार्कादीशकोणे पंचाशद्धनुषान्तरे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi akṣamāleśvaraṃ param | sāgarārkādīśakoṇe paṃcāśaddhanuṣāntare

Translation

Īśvara dit : «Ensuite, ô grande Déesse, il faut se rendre au suprême Akṣamāleśvara, situé à l’angle entre Sāgarārka et Ādīśa, à une distance de cinquante longueurs d’arc.»

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: देश/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (ablatival adverb: ‘then/from there’)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; विध्यर्थ (should go)

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (महती देवी)

• अक्षमालेश्वरम्: Akṣamāleśvara (Lord of the rosary)
• अक्षमालेश्वरम्: Karman (Goal/Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षमाला (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (अक्षमालायाः ईश्वरः)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Karman (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सागरार्कादि-ईश-कोणे: in the corner of Sāgara, Arka, etc. (i.e., the Īśa/NE corner)
• सागरार्कादि-ईश-कोणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्क (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक) + कोण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सागरार्कादि-ईशानां कोणः/ईश-कोणः)

• पञ्चाशत्: fifty
• पञ्चाशत्: Visheshana (Quantifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चाशत् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, अव्ययवत् (indeclinable numeral in composition/usage); संख्या

• धनुष्: bows (as a measure)
• धनुष्: Sambandha (Measure relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (in compound with अन्तर)

• अन्तरे: at a distance (within)
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana (Distance/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (पञ्चाशद्धनुषां अन्तरम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Akṣamāleśvara (later identified with Ugraseneśvara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī on the next stop: a map-like sacred landscape with two reference shrines (Sāgarārka and Ādīśa) and the target Akṣamāleśvara at their corner; pilgrims walking a short measured distance.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Akṣamāleśvara
• Sāgarārka
• Ādīśa
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as a disciplined spiritual act—moving from one sanctified point to another as taught by Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Akṣamāleśvara in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, near the sacred points named Sāgarārka and Ādīśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction (gacchet—‘one should go’) with a precise traditional distance marker (fifty bow-lengths).