Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

लिंगं महाप्रभावं हि दर्शनात्पापनाशनम् । पूर्वे युगे तु संख्यातं गणेश्वरमिति श्रुतम्

Transliteration

liṃgaṃ mahāprabhāvaṃ hi darśanātpāpanāśanam | pūrve yuge tu saṃkhyātaṃ gaṇeśvaramiti śrutam

Translation

Ce liṅga est d’une puissance immense ; rien qu’en le contemplant, les péchés sont anéantis. Dans l’âge ancien, il était renommé—dit-on—sous le nom de «Gaṇeśvara».

Word by Word

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्

• mahā-prabhāvam: of great power
• mahā-prabhāvam: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्; कर्मधारयः (great in power) विशेषणम् (of liṅgam)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपातः; हेतौ/निश्चयार्थे (indeed/for)

• darśanāt: from seeing (it)
• darśanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (Ablative), एकवचनम्

• pāpa-nāśanam: destroyer of sin
• pāpa-nāśanam: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (pāpaṃ nāśayati iti) विशेषणम् (of liṅgam)

• pūrve: in the former
• pūrve: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (of yuge)

• yuge: age (yuga)
• yuge: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-निपातः (but/indeed)

• saṃkhyātam: was called/known
• saṃkhyātam: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-khyā (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तम् (reckoned/called)

• gaṇeśvaram: Gaṇeśvara
• gaṇeśvaram: Karma (Object-complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (gaṇānām īśvaraḥ) नामरूपम्

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Discourse marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणार्थक-अव्ययम् (quotative)

• śrutam: is known (as)
• śrutam: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śru (धातु) + kta (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative), एकवचनम्; क्त-प्रत्ययान्तम् (is heard/known)

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Devī/Pārvatī, inferred from 'devi' in the immediate context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yogeśvara (formerly Gaṇeśvara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The Yogeśvara liṅga radiates power; pilgrims behold it with folded hands, while an inscriptional aura hints at its older name ‘Gaṇeśvara’.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Gaṇeśvara
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana (reverent visitation) of a Mahādeva-liṅga at a sacred kṣetra can itself become a powerful purifier of pāpa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Prabhāsatīrtha region) is being praised through the greatness of its liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No detailed rite is given here; the stated practice is darśana—seeing the liṅga with faith.