Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि विनायकमनुत्तमम् । चतुर्मुखेति विख्यातं चण्डीशादुत्तरे स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi vināyakamanuttamam | caturmukheti vikhyātaṃ caṇḍīśāduttare sthitam

Translation

Īśvara dit : Alors, ô Grande Déesse, il faut se rendre auprès de Vināyaka, l’incomparable, renommé « Caturmukha », établi au nord de Caṇḍīśa.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• 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; परस्मैपद

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

• gacchet: one should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Injunctive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• vināyakam: to Vināyaka (Gaṇeśa)
• vināyakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vināyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• anuttamam: unsurpassed, supreme
• anuttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुषसमासः; vināyakam इति विशेषण

• caturmukha: Caturmukha (Four-faced)
• caturmukha: Samjna (Apposition/name/संज्ञा)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur-mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (context: नामरूपेण); द्विगुसमासः (four-faced)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, इति-प्रयोगः (quotative)

• vikhyātam: well-known (as)
• vikhyātam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-khyā (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; caturmukhaṃ/नाम इति विशेषण

• caṇḍīśāt: to the north of Caṇḍīśa (from Caṇḍīśa)
• caṇḍīśāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caṇḍīśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• uttare: in the northern (side)
• uttare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक; sthitam इति विशेषण

• sthitam: situated
• sthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु) + ta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; vināyakam इति विशेषण

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Caturmukha Vināyaka

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī on the next stop in the pilgrimage: the four-faced Vināyaka shrine standing north of Caṇḍīśa, with pilgrims moving along a sacred path.

Characters & Entities

• Devī (Pārvatī)
• Vināyaka (Gaṇeśa)
• Caturmukha Vināyaka
• Caṇḍīśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The māhātmya frames pilgrimage as guided sacred geography—approaching Vināyaka as an ideal beginning for removing obstacles in dharmic pursuits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The shrine of Caturmukha Vināyaka in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, located north of Caṇḍīśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directed visit (gacchet) to the Caturmukha Vināyaka shrine as part of the Prabhāsa pilgrimage sequence.