Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि हिरण्येश्वरमुत्तमम् । ब्रह्मकुण्डस्य वायव्ये धनुषां द्वितये स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi hiraṇyeśvaramuttamam | brahmakuṇḍasya vāyavye dhanuṣāṃ dvitaye sthitam

Translation

Īśvara dit : «Ensuite, ô Grande Déesse, qu’on se rende au sublime Hiraṇyeśvara, situé au nord-ouest de Brahmakuṇḍa, à la distance de deux longueurs d’arc».

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Speech act)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु; √वच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/देशवाचक-अव्यय (thereafter/from there)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु; √गम्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• हिरण्येश्वरम्: Hiraṇyeśvara (name of a shrine/linga)
• हिरण्येश्वरम्: Karma (Object of 'go' i.e., destination)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्य (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: हिरण्यस्य ईश्वरः (नाम)

• उत्तमम्: excellent/supreme
• उत्तमम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying हिरण्येश्वरम्)

• ब्रह्मकुण्डस्य: of Brahmakunda
• ब्रह्मकुण्डस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + कुण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ब्रह्मणः कुण्डम्

• वायव्ये: in the north-west (direction)
• वायव्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; दिक्शब्द (north-west)

• धनुषाम्: of bows (as a measure)
• धनुषाम्: Sambandha (Measure/genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• द्वितये: at a distance of two (bows)
• द्वितये: Adhikaraṇa (Measure-location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• स्थितम्: situated/located
• स्थितम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु; √स्था) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; हिरण्येश्वरम् इति पदस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hiraṇyeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs the Great Goddess on the next station of the Prabhāsa pilgrimage: Hiraṇyeśvara, placed northwest of Brahmakuṇḍa, measured by bow-lengths; a sacred map rendered as landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī
• Hiraṇyeśvara
• Brahmakuṇḍa
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is precise and intentional: sacred geography is mapped so devotees can approach specific forms of Śiva correctly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Hiraṇyeśvara, a Śiva-site located northwest of Brahmakuṇḍa within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directional pilgrimage instruction: proceed from Brahmakuṇḍa to Hiraṇyeśvara (vāyavya, two bow-lengths away).