Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

ततो दृष्ट्वा तु तत्क्षेत्रं पुण्यं ह्यृषिनिषेवितम् । सर्वत्र व्यापितं लिंगैराश्रमैश्च तपस्विनाम्

Transliteration

tato dṛṣṭvā tu tatkṣetraṃ puṇyaṃ hyṛṣiniṣevitam | sarvatra vyāpitaṃ liṃgairāśramaiśca tapasvinām

Translation

Alors, voyant cette contrée sainte—méritoire et fréquentée par les sages—(elle la vit) partout emplie de liṅga de Śiva et d’ermitage d’ascètes.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमबोधक (then)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधसूचक निपात (but/indeed)

• tat-kṣetram: that sacred place/field
• tat-kṣetram: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तत् क్షेत्रम्)

• puṇyam: holy, meritorious
• puṇyam: Karman (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (tat-kṣetram)

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ निपात (indeed/for)

• ṛṣi-niṣevitam: frequented/served by sages
• ṛṣi-niṣevitam: Karman (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक) + niṣevita (सेव् धातु-आधारित कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (ऋषिभिः निषेवितम्) विशेषणम्

• sarvatra: everywhere
• sarvatra: Adhikarana (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (everywhere)

• vyāpitam: pervaded, filled
• vyāpitam: Karman (Qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vyāp (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (tat-kṣetram इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• liṅgaiḥ: with liṅgas
• liṅgaiḥ: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• āśramaiḥ: with hermitages
• āśramaiḥ: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āśrama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• tapasvinām: of ascetics
• tapasvinām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapasvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive), बहुवचन

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from chapter flow; narrative voice within Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (liṅga-āśrama spread)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Gaṅgā beholds Prabhāsa: a vast holy tract dotted everywhere with countless liṅgas and serene hermitages, sages in meditation, sacrificial fires, and pathways between shrines.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa Kṣetra
• Ṛṣis (sages)
• Śiva-liṅgas
• Tapasvins (ascetics)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha becomes supremely holy through sustained tapas and the presence of saints, manifesting as a living sacred geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, portrayed as a region densely sanctified by liṅgas and ascetic āśramas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes the sanctifying presence of liṅgas and ascetic practice.