Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

तस्योत्तरे तु दिग्भागे किञ्चिदीशानमाश्रितः । चतुर्वक्त्रो महादेवि क्षेत्रपो लिंगरूपधृक्

Transliteration

tasyottare tu digbhāge kiñcidīśānamāśritaḥ | caturvaktro mahādevi kṣetrapo liṃgarūpadhṛk

Translation

Au nord de là, légèrement tourné vers le quartier d’Īśāna (nord-est), ô Grande Déesse, se tient le gardien du champ sacré, à quatre visages, portant la forme d’un liṅga.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Genitive singular

• उत्तरे: to the north / in the northern (part)
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative singular

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात — particle

• दिग्भागे: in the directional region/sector
• दिग्भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दिशः भागः) — Masculine, Locative singular

• किञ्चित्: slightly/somewhat
• किञ्चित्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किञ्चित् (अव्यय/सर्वनाम)
• Form: परिमाण/अल्पत्ववाचक-अव्यय — indeclinable (a little/somewhat)

• ईशानम्: Īśāna (the northeast/Īśāna aspect)
• ईशानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative singular

• आश्रितः: having resorted to / situated near
• आश्रितः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √श्रि (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Past participle, Masculine nominative singular

• चतुर्वक्त्रः: four-faced
• चतुर्वक्त्रः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (चत्वारि वक्त्राणि यस्य) — Masculine, Nominative singular

• महादेवि: O Mahādevī
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः — Feminine, Vocative singular

• क्षेत्रपः: guardian of the sacred field
• क्षेत्रपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षेत्रस्य पः/पालकः) — Masculine, Nominative singular

• लिङ्गरूपधृक्: bearing the form of a liṅga
• लिङ्गरूपधृक्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + √धृ (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘धृक्’ (धारयति इति) वर्तमानकृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गरूपं धारयन्) — Masculine, Nominative singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣetrapāla-liṅga (Caturvaktra) at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (addressed as mahādevi)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A boundary shrine to the north-northeast: a liṅga embodying a four-faced guardian (caturvaktra), standing vigilant as protector of the field, with directional markers and ritual lamps.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādeva
• Śaṅkara
• Kṣetrapa
• Īśāna (direction)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha is not merely a location; it is a protected sacred field where Śiva’s presence is established and safeguarded through a kṣetrapāla principle.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya), with a specific northern/northeastern precinct marked by a liṅga-form guardian.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse identifies the sacred orientation and the guardian-liṅga presence as part of the kṣetra’s māhātmya.