Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

देव्युवाच । कस्मिन्काले जगन्नाथ तत्र लिंगं प्रतिष्ठितम् । कथमाराधनं चक्रे कृतार्थो रोहिणीपतिः

Transliteration

devyuvāca | kasminkāle jagannātha tatra liṃgaṃ pratiṣṭhitam | kathamārādhanaṃ cakre kṛtārtho rohiṇīpatiḥ

Translation

La Déesse dit : Ô Seigneur de l’univers, à quel moment le liṅga fut-il établi en ce lieu ? Et comment Rohiṇī-nātha (la Lune), son dessein accompli, en fit-il l’adoration ?

Word by Word

• देवी: the Goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• कस्मिन्: in which
• कस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक (in which)

• काले: time
• काले: Kala (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जगन्नाथ: O Lord of the world
• जगन्नाथ: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जगत् + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जगतः नाथः)

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

• लिंगम्: liṅga
• लिंगम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रतिष्ठितम्: was established
• प्रतिष्ठितम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + स्था (धातु) → प्रतिष्ठित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; लिङ्गम् इति कर्तृसमानाधिकरण (was established)

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Sambandha (Manner-question/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (how)

• आराधनम्: worship/service
• आराधनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ + राध् (धातु) → आराधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चक्रे: performed/did
• चक्रे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• कृतार्थः: fulfilled/successful
• कृतार्थः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थे 'कृतः अर्थः यस्य' (one whose purpose is fulfilled)

• रोहिणीपतिः: husband of Rohiṇī (the Moon)
• रोहिणीपतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोहिणी + पति (प्रातिपदिक); समास
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (रोहिण्याः पतिः)

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (liṅga-pratiṣṭhā locus)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī, seated beside Īśvara, asks about the time of the liṅga’s installation at Prabhāsa and the manner of Candra’s worship; a calm teaching setting with the kṣetra’s shrine hinted in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Śiva (Jagannātha)
• Liṅga
• Moon (Rohiṇīpati)
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places are understood through both history (when the shrine arose) and practice (how worship is done).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, specifically the site ‘there’ where the liṅga was installed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse introduces inquiry into ārādhana (proper worship), to be detailed in the subsequent response.