Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि विश्वेशं दुर्गकूटकम् । भल्लतीर्थस्य पूर्वेण योगिनीचक्रदक्षिणे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi viśveśaṃ durgakūṭakam | bhallatīrthasya pūrveṇa yoginīcakradakṣiṇe

Translation

Īśvara dit : «Ensuite, ô grande Déesse, qu’on aille vers Viśveśa à Durgakūṭaka, à l’est de Bhalla-tīrtha et au sud du Yoginī-cakra».

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; काल/क्रमवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal/sequential adverb)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—महान् + देवी (कर्मधारय)

• विश्वेशम्: Viśveśa (Lord of the universe)
• विश्वेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—विश्वस्य ईशः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• दुर्गकूटकम्: Durgakūṭaka (name of a place/deity)
• दुर्गकूटकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्गकूटक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—दुर्गस्य कूटकः/कूटकं (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• भल्लतीर्थस्य: of Bhallatīrtha
• भल्लतीर्थस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भल्लतीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—भल्ल + तीर्थ (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-नामसमास)

• पूर्वेण: to the east (of)
• पूर्वेण: Adhikarana (Locative sense via instrumental; place-relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; दिशावाचक-प्रयोगः (used adverbially: ‘to the east of’)

• योगिनीचक्रदक्षिणे: on the southern side of the Yoginī-circle
• योगिनीचक्रदक्षिणे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योगिनीचक्रदक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—योगिनीनां चक्रं (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + दक्षिण (कर्मधारय/उपपद-समास); स्थानवाचक

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśa at Durgakūṭaka

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva points out the route to Viśveśa at Durgakūṭaka; a stylized map-like scene shows Bhalla-tīrtha to the west, a circular Yoginī-cakra to the north, and the Viśveśa shrine on a fortified hillock (kūṭaka) with a durg-like gateway.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Viśveśa
• Durgakūṭaka
• Bhalla-tīrtha
• Yoginī-cakra
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is practiced through yātrā: the text sanctifies geography by giving precise directions to a Śiva-liṅga presence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśveśa at Durgakūṭaka, positioned relative to Bhalla-tīrtha and Yoginīcakra in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to undertake pilgrimage and visit (darśana) the specified shrine; details of pūjā follow in subsequent verses.