Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

स लिंगं पूजयामास त्रिकालं भक्तिभावितः । एकाहारो जिताहारो भूभिशायी जितेंद्रियः

Transliteration

sa liṃgaṃ pūjayāmāsa trikālaṃ bhaktibhāvitaḥ | ekāhāro jitāhāro bhūbhiśāyī jiteṃdriyaḥ

Translation

Empli de dévotion, il adorait le Liṅga trois fois par jour. Il ne prenait qu’un seul repas quotidien, maîtrisait sa nourriture, dormait à même le sol et domptait ses sens.

Word by Word

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

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पूजयामास: worshipped
• पूजयामास: Kriya (क्रिया/Finite verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्रिकालम्: thrice daily
• त्रिकालम्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: त्रि + काल (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial) अर्थे ‘त्रिषु कालेषु/three times a day’

• भक्तिभावितः: imbued with devotion
• भक्तिभावितः: Karta-visheshana (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ति + भावित (कृदन्त; √भू/भाव्)
• Form: भक्त्या भावितः इति तृतीया-तत्पुरुष; भावित (क्त-प्रत्यय/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• एकाहारः: having one meal (a day)
• एकाहारः: Karta-visheshana (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक + आहार (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: एकः आहारः यस्य/एकाहारः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• जिताहारः: having conquered appetite/diet
• जिताहारः: Karta-visheshana (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित (कृदन्त; √जि) + आहार (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: जितः आहारः यस्य; जित (क्त-प्रत्यय/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• भूभिशायी: sleeping on the ground
• भूभिशायी: Karta-visheshana (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूभि (भू + भि; प्रातिपदिक) + शायी (कृदन्त; √शी)
• Form: भूभौ शायी इति सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष; शायी (णिनि/इन्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

• जितेन्द्रियः: self-controlled (having conquered the senses)
• जितेन्द्रियः: Karta-visheshana (कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जित (कृदन्त; √जि) + इन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: जितानि इन्द्रियाणि येन; (बहुव्रीह्यर्थे प्रयोगः) रूपतः तत्पुरुष-समास; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Prabhāsa Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vṛṣabheśa (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: King Ikṣvāku performs trikāla worship before the liṅga—morning, noon, evening—shown as three vignettes: offering water/flowers, midday lamp, evening incense; he eats once, sleeps on the ground, and sits in calm mastery of senses.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady worship joined with self-restraint (diet, sleep, senses) intensifies devotion and makes pilgrimage-practice spiritually effective.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, where the Liṅga worship is performed as part of the site’s Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Trikāla-pūjā of the Liṅga, along with ascetic observances: ekāhāra (single meal), regulated diet, sleeping on the ground, and sense-control.