Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि मातृस्थानमनुत्तमम् । भैरवेशेति विख्यातं सर्वभयविनाशनम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi mātṛsthānamanuttamam | bhairaveśeti vikhyātaṃ sarvabhayavināśanam

Translation

Īśvara dit : Alors, ô Grande Déesse, qu’on se rende au Mātṛ-sthāna sans égal, renommé sous le nom de Bhairaveśa, destructeur de toute crainte.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः (adverb of sequence)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः

• mātṛsthānam: the Mothers’ shrine/place
• mātṛsthānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ + sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (mothers’ place)

• anuttamam: unsurpassed
• anuttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (superlative sense)

• bhairaveśa: Bhairaveśa
• bhairaveśa: Vishaya (Appellation/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhairava + īśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (Bhairava-lord)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Naming/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative)

• vikhyātam: well-known
• vikhyātam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi + khyā (धातु) + ta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘प्रसिद्ध’ अर्थे

• sarvabhayavināśanam: destroyer of all fear
• sarvabhayavināśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva + bhaya + vināśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (destroyer of all fear)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhairaveśa Mātṛ-sthāna

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva directs Devī to an unsurpassed Mātṛ-sthāna named Bhairaveśa; the shrine is fierce-protective: Bhairava iconography, trident, dog mount motif, and Mātṛ presence; pilgrims approach seeking fearlessness.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Bhairaveśa
• Mātṛs (Divine Mothers)
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The kṣetra is depicted as a refuge: approaching Bhairava and the Mātṛs removes fear and restores spiritual confidence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhairaveśa at the Mātṛ-sthāna in Prabhāsakṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse gives a pilgrimage instruction to proceed to the site; worship details appear in the next verse.