Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

भीमेश्वरे नर्मदायां स्कांदे रामेश्वरादिषु । उज्जयिन्यां महाकाले वाराणस्यां च भूर्भुवः

Transliteration

bhīmeśvare narmadāyāṃ skāṃde rāmeśvarādiṣu | ujjayinyāṃ mahākāle vārāṇasyāṃ ca bhūrbhuvaḥ

Translation

À Bhīmeśvara sur la Narmadā; dans les tīrtha de Skanda; à Rāmeśvara et en d’autres lieux semblables; à Ujjayinī auprès de Mahākāla; et à Vārāṇasī, domaine de la terre et du ciel—

Word by Word

• भीमेश्वरे: at Bhīmeśvara
• भीमेश्वरे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीमेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (masculine, locative singular); तत्पुरुषः (भीमस्य ईश्वरः)

• नर्मदायाम्: on/in the Narmadā
• नर्मदायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर्मदा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (feminine, locative singular)

• स्कांदे: at Skānda (Skanda-tīrtha)
• स्कांदे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कान्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (locative singular); स्थान/तीर्थनाम

• रामेश्वरादिषु: in Rāmeśvara and other (places)
• रामेश्वरादिषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रामेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी बहुवचन (masculine, locative plural); तत्पुरुषः (रामेश्वर-आदि-स्थानेषु)

• उज्जयिन्याम्: in Ujjayinī
• उज्जयिन्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उज्जयिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (feminine, locative singular)

• महाकाले: at Mahākāla
• महाकाले: Adhikaraṇa (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (masculine, locative singular); कर्मधारयः (महान् कालः) / देवतानाम

• वाराणस्याम्: in Vārāṇasī
• वाराणस्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (feminine, locative singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (and)

• भूर्भुवः: Bhū and Bhuvaḥ (the worlds)
• भूर्भुवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूः (प्रातिपदिक) + भुवः (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा बहुवचन (feminine, nominative plural); द्वन्द्वः (भूः च भुवः च)

Speaker

Narrator of the Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa (contextual Purāṇic narrator addressing a king)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla (Ujjayinī), Vārāṇasī, Rāmeśvara, Narmadā-side Bhīmeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (implied continuation)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequence tableau: Narmadā riverbank with a Bhīmeśvara liṅga; a signifier of Skānda tīrthas (peacock banner/spear); Rāmeśvara seashore temple; Mahākāla shrine at Ujjain; and Kāśī ghats with a luminous liṅga presence.

Characters & Entities

• Bhīmeśvara
• Narmadā
• Skanda
• Rāmeśvara
• Ujjayinī
• Mahākāla
• Vārāṇasī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Famed Śaiva centers across India are woven into a single sacred itinerary of purification and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhīmeśvara (Narmadā), Rāmeśvara, Ujjayinī’s Mahākāla, and Vārāṇasī are explicitly mentioned.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

This verse primarily lists tīrthas; implied practices include darśana, snāna, and worship at these sites.