Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

मेरुः प्रासादराजा च देवानामालयो हि सः । आदौ पञ्चाण्डको ज्ञेयः केसरीनामतः स्थितः

Transliteration

meruḥ prāsādarājā ca devānāmālayo hi saḥ | ādau pañcāṇḍako jñeyaḥ kesarīnāmataḥ sthitaḥ

Translation

« Meru » est le roi des palais ; en vérité, il est la demeure des dieux. D’abord, il faut connaître le sanctuaire nommé « Pañcāṇḍaka », établi sous le nom de « Kesarī ».

Word by Word

• मेरुः: Meru (name)
• मेरुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मेरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्रासादराजा: king of palaces
• प्रासादराजा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक) + राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (प्रासादानां राजा)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• देवानाम्: of the gods
• देवानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• आलयः: abode
• आलयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चयार्थक-निपात (particle: indeed/for)

• सः: he/that (one)
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आदौ: in the beginning
• आदौ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, सप्तमी-एकवचनरूपेण (adverb: at first/in the beginning)

• पञ्चाण्डकः: Pañcāṇḍaka (five-egg/ five-sphered; name)
• पञ्चाण्डकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + अण्डक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (पञ्च अण्डकानि यस्य/पञ्च-अण्डकः)

• ज्ञेयः: to be known
• ज्ञेयः: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (भाव्य/विधेय), यत्-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; अर्थः: ‘ज्ञातव्यः’ (to be known)

• केसरीनामतः: by the name ‘Kesarī’
• केसरीनामतः: Sambandha (Specification/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: केसरी (प्रातिपदिक) + नामतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb: by name/as named)

• स्थितः: situated/standing
• स्थितः: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त-भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक-कर्तरि प्रयोगः; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Meru-prāsāda; Pañcāṇḍaka (Kesarī) shrine within Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A towering ‘Meru’ prāsāda at the center like a golden mountain, surrounded by smaller shrines; in the foreground a marked ‘first’ shrine named Pañcāṇḍaka, associated with the epithet Kesarī, suggesting lion-like grandeur or a patron/marker.

Characters & Entities

• Meru (prāsāda)
• Devas
• Pañcāṇḍaka (designation)
• Kesarī (prāsāda)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The central shrine is treated as a divine residence—approaching it is akin to entering the gods’ own dwelling, with ordered subsidiary sanctuaries.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Meru prāsāda at Someśvara in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, described as the foremost palace-temple.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse provides hierarchical orientation (which shrine is central and which is first to be noted).