Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

गुरुं हत्वा पुरा देवि गौतमः पापदुःखितः । तत्र लिंगं प्रतिष्ठाप्य तस्मात्पापाद्व्यमुच्यत

Transliteration

guruṃ hatvā purā devi gautamaḥ pāpaduḥkhitaḥ | tatra liṃgaṃ pratiṣṭhāpya tasmātpāpādvyamucyata

Translation

Autrefois, ô Déesse, Gautama, accablé par la souffrance du péché, tua son guru. Là, il établit un liṅga, et par cela même il fut délivré de ce péché.

Word by Word

• गुरुम्: the teacher
• गुरुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• हत्वा: having killed
• हत्वा: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाले कृत्य (having done)

• पुरा: formerly
• पुरा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गौतमः: Gautama
• गौतमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौतम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पापदुःखितः: afflicted by sin
• पापदुःखितः: Karta-anvayi (Subject complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप + दुःखित (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-आधारित विशेषण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पापेन दुःखितः = afflicted by sin)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: having installed
• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund), causative-sense in usage: ‘having स्थापित/installed’

• तस्मात्: from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• पापात्: from sin
• पापात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• व्यमुच्यत: was released (freed)
• व्यमुच्यत: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (imperfect/past), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gautameśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Gautama, sorrowful and austere, installs a liṅga at the Gautameśvara spot; a dark aura of guilt lifts as light gathers around the shrine, indicating release from sin.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Gautama
• Gautameśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Repentance expressed through sacred action—liṅga-pratiṣṭhā at a holy kṣetra—is praised as a means of purification and release.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gautameśvara in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (installing a Śiva-liṅga) at the site as an act connected with expiation.