Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि लिंगानां च चतुष्टयम् । एकस्थानस्थितानां तु सावित्र्यास्तत्र पश्चिमे

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi liṃgānāṃ ca catuṣṭayam | ekasthānasthitānāṃ tu sāvitryāstatra paścime

Translation

ઈશ્વરે કહ્યું—હે મહાદેવી, ત્યારબાદ એક જ સ્થાને સ્થિત ચાર લિંગોના સમૂહ પાસે જવું જોઈએ; તે ત્યાં સાવિત્રીદેવીના પશ્ચિમ તરફ છે.

Word by Word

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

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; ‘उवाच’ = said

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्ययीभावार्थे/क्रमसूचक (then/from there)

• gacchet: should go / go
• gacchet: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; विधिलिङ्गार्थे आदेशः

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• liṃgānām: of liṅgas
• liṃgānām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Conjunction (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• catuṣṭayam: a set of four
• catuṣṭayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catuṣṭaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; ‘चार-समूहः’

• ekasthāna-sthitānām: situated in one place
• ekasthāna-sthitānām: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक) + sthāna (प्रातिपदिक) + sthita (√sthā/स्था धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषणम्; ‘एकस्थाने स्थित’ = situated in one place (qualifies liṃgānām)

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वय-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• sāvitryāḥ: of Sāvitrī
• sāvitryāḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāvitrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adverbial (देश-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• paścime: in the west
• paścime: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; ‘पश्चिमे (दिशि)’

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Catuṣliṅga-sannidhi (four-liṅga cluster) west of Sāvitrī in Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Pārvatī, indicating a westward direction from a Sāvitrī-associated spot toward a single precinct holding four liṅgas together.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī
• Sāvitrī
• Four liṅgas (catuṣṭaya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography is mapped as a devotional path: visiting specific liṅgas is itself a dharmic act guided by Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A cluster of four liṅgas in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, described as lying to the west of Sāvitrī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yātrā-instruction: “one should go” to the four liṅgas (darśana/visit implied).