Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि वैनतेयप्रतिष्ठितम् । रत्नेश्वरादुत्तरतो धनुषां त्रितये स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi vainateyapratiṣṭhitam | ratneśvarāduttarato dhanuṣāṃ tritaye sthitam

Translation

Īśvara dit : Ensuite, ô Grande Déesse, qu’on se rende au sanctuaire établi par Vainateya (Garuḍa), situé au nord de Ratneśvara, à la distance de trois mesures de dhanuṣ.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Perfect, Active, 3rd person, Singular

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/हेतुवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: then/from there)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Optative, Active, 3rd person, Singular

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय (महा + देवी); Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• वैनतेयप्रतिष्ठितम्: established by Vainateya
• वैनतेयप्रतिष्ठितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैनतेय + प्रतिष्ठित (कृदन्त; √स्था (धातु) + क्त, उपसर्ग: प्रति)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे (वैनतेयेन/वैनतेयस्य प्रतिष्ठितम्); PPP used adjectivally; Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• रत्नेश्वरात्: from Ratneśvara
• रत्नेश्वरात्: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्नेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• उत्तरतः: to the north
• उत्तरतः: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत्तरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: to the north/northwards)

• धनुषाम्: of bows (as a measure)
• धनुषाम्: Sambandha (Measure relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• त्रितये: at a triad (three)
• त्रितये: Adhikaraṇa (Measure-location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Neuter, Locative, Singular

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थित (कृदन्त; √स्था (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; PPP used adjectivally; Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Garuḍeśvara / Vainateya-pratiṣṭhita-liṅga (as introduced)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Devī, indicating the route: from Ratneśvara, proceed north to the shrine established by Garuḍa; the landscape reads like a sacred map with measured distance.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Vainateya (Garuḍa)
• Ratneśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as a sacred journey: moving from one tīrtha to another in prescribed sequence is itself a form of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Garuḍeśvara (the shrine established by Vainateya/Garuḍa), located north of Ratneśvara in Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yātrā-direction is given: proceed to the Vainateya-established shrine at a stated distance north of Ratneśvara.