Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

लिंगमेव प्रपश्यंति न पश्यंति महेश्वरम्

Transliteration

liṃgameva prapaśyaṃti na paśyaṃti maheśvaram

Translation

Ils ne contemplent que le Liṅga ; ils ne contemplent pas Mahēśvara (Śiva) dans Sa forme personnelle.

Word by Word

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (लिङ्ग) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचनम्

• eva: only; indeed
• eva: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव)
• Form: अव्ययम्; अवधारणार्थकं (emphatic/restrictive particle)

• prapaśyanti: (they) behold
• prapaśyanti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra- + √paś (पश्)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; 'they behold'

• na: not
• na: Nipāta (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निषेधार्थकं (negation particle)

• paśyanti: (they) see
• paśyanti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (पश्)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्; प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

• maheśvaram: Mahādeva (the Great Lord)
• maheśvaram: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (महा) + īśvara (ईश्वर) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समासः (महान् ईश्वरः); पुंलिङ्गः; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Śiva (Mahēśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somnātha/Prabhāseśvara liṅga at Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages stand before a dark, polished liṅga on a yoni-pīṭha, lamps flickering; their faces show reverent acceptance—no anthropomorphic Śiva appears, only the silent emblem radiating presence.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Mahēśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Lord is approachable through the Liṅga even when His personal form remains unseen—symbol becomes direct presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where the Liṅga is emphasized as the primary focus of darśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, Liṅga-darśana (and by extension Liṅga-pūjā) is valorized, though no specific procedure is described.