Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 170

Devanagari script

पाण्डुकूपे नरः स्नात्वा दृष्ट्वा लिंगानि पञ्च वै । पाण्डवैः स्थापितानीह दृष्ट्वा यज्ञफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

pāṇḍukūpe naraḥ snātvā dṛṣṭvā liṃgāni pañca vai | pāṇḍavaiḥ sthāpitānīha dṛṣṭvā yajñaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

Celui qui se baigne à Pāṇḍu-kūpa et contemple les cinq liṅga établis ici par les Pāṇḍava obtient le mérite d’un sacrifice.

Word by Word

• पाण्डुकूपे: in the Pāṇḍu-well
• पाण्डुकूपे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डु + कूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (पाण्डोः/पाण्डु-नाम्नः कूपः); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; Locative singular

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund); ‘having bathed’

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund); ‘having seen’

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas (Śiva-emblems)
• लिङ्गानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; Accusative plural

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; (लिङ्गानि) विशेषण; indeclinable numeral used adjectivally

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक अव्यय; emphatic particle

• पाण्डवैः: by the Pāṇḍavas
• पाण्डवैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• स्थापितानि: established
• स्थापितानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्था (धातु) + णिच् (causative) → स्थापयति; + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: णिजन्त-धातोः भूतकर्मणि क्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; (लिङ्गानि) विशेषण; ‘established’

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय; adverb of place

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund); ‘having seen’

• यज्ञफलम्: the fruit of a sacrifice
• यज्ञफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (यज्ञस्य फलम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; Parasmaipada

Speaker

Narrator (contextual Purāṇic narrator within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pāṇḍu-kūpa and Pāṇḍava-pañca-liṅga

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Frame listener(s) in the Prabhāsa-māhātmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stone-lined ancient well (kūpa) with steps; pilgrims emerge from snāna, water dripping, then proceed to a cluster of five liṅgas under canopies, each with bilva leaves and lamps; a subtle aura suggests yajña-fire transmuted into sacred presence.

Characters & Entities

• Pāṇḍu-kūpa
• Five Śiva-liṅgas
• Pāṇḍavas
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-snāna and devoted darśana of Śiva’s liṅga are presented as accessible paths to great merit comparable to formal sacrifice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pāṇḍu-kūpa at Prabhāsa-kṣetra, along with the five Pāṇḍava-established liṅgas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bathe at Pāṇḍu-kūpa and take darśana of the five liṅgas; this grants yajña-like merit.