Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ततो मातृगणान्पश्येद्वसुनन्दादिनामतः । अर्क स्थलसमीपस्थान्दक्षिणे नातिदूरतः

Transliteration

tato mātṛgaṇānpaśyedvasunandādināmataḥ | arka sthalasamīpasthāndakṣiṇe nātidūrataḥ

Translation

Ensuite, l’on doit contempler les groupes des Déesses-Mères (Mātṛ-gaṇa), connues par des noms commençant par Vasunandā, établies près d’Arka-sthala, non loin au sud.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then, thereafter
• tataḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb)

• mātṛ-gaṇān: the groups of Mothers (Mātṛs)
• mātṛ-gaṇān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), बहुवचनम् (plural); तत्पुरुषः: मातॄणां गणाः

• paśyet: should see
• paśyet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/सम्भावना), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम् (singular)

• vasunandādināmataḥ: by name, starting with Vasunandā
• vasunandādināmataḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vasunandā (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) ‘-तः’; तत्पुरुष-सम्बन्ध: वसुनन्दा-आदि-नाम (names beginning with Vasunandā)

• arka: of Arka (Sun/Arka-place)
• arka: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), षष्ठी-सम्बन्धे (genitive relation, used as first member in compound)

• sthala-samīpa-sthān: situated near the place
• sthala-samīpa-sthān: Karma (Object complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthala (प्रातिपदिक) + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (धातु) → stha (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक: स्थ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः (masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (accusative), बहुवचनम् (plural); तत्पुरुषः: स्थलस्य समीपे स्थिताः

• dakṣiṇe: to the south / in the southern side
• dakṣiṇe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः (neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (locative), एकवचनम् (singular)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• ati-dūrataḥ: from not too far away
• ati-dūrataḥ: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ati (अव्यय) + dūratas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्यय (adverb): अत्यन्तं दूरतः

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arka-sthala (with nearby Mātṛgaṇa-sthāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a beloved interlocutor (likely Devī/consort figure addressed as ‘priye’, per v.182.4)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim approaches a southern cluster of small shrines near Arka-sthala; multiple Mother-goddesses (Mātṛgaṇas) are indicated by distinct emblems and attendants, forming a protective semicircle around the path.

Characters & Entities

• Mātṛgaṇa (Mothers/Mātṛkās)
• Vasunandā
• Arka-sthala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Māhātmya frames pilgrimage as a guided encounter with divine powers distributed across sacred geography—here, the Mother-goddesses.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mātṛgaṇa location near Arka-sthala in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage act of darśana (beholding) the Mātṛgaṇas is prescribed.