Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि देवमातरमव्ययाम् । मंकीशान्नैरृते भागे गौरीरूपसमाश्रिताम् । देवमाता सरस्वत्या नाम लोकेषु गीयते

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi devamātaramavyayām | maṃkīśānnairṛte bhāge gaurīrūpasamāśritām | devamātā sarasvatyā nāma lokeṣu gīyate

Translation

Īśvara bersabda: “Kemudian, wahai Mahādevī, hendaklah seseorang pergi kepada Devamātā, Sang Dewi yang tak binasa. Di arah barat daya dari Maṃkīśa, ia bersemayam dalam wujud Gaurī. Di segala loka ia termasyhur dengan nama ‘Devamātā Sarasvatī.’”

Word by Word

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

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/हेतुवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (then/thereafter)

• gacchet: one should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Injunction/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gam (गम्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• mahā-devi: O Mahādevī
• mahā-devi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (‘O great goddess’)

• deva-mātaram: the Mother of the gods
• deva-mātaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (‘mother of the gods’)

• avyayām: imperishable
• avyayām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: avyayā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (‘imperishable’)

• maṃkīśāt: from Maṃkīśa
• maṃkīśāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃkīśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• nairṛte: in the south-western
• nairṛte: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nairṛta (दिशावाचक/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; दिशावाचक विशेषण (‘in the south-western’)

• bhāge: part/region
• bhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• gaurī-rūpa-samāśritām: having assumed the form of Gaurī
• gaurī-rūpa-samāśritām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpa (प्रातिपदिक) + sam-āśrita (कृदन्त; √śri श्रि with सम्+आ)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘having resorted to’; तत्पुरुष (‘having assumed/ resorted to the form of Gaurī’)

• deva-mātā: the Mother of the gods
• deva-mātā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (‘mother of the gods’)

• sarasvatyāḥ: of Sarasvatī
• sarasvatyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• nāma: by name
• nāma: Apposition marker (नाम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोग; ‘नाम’ इति नामनिर्देशे (called)

• lokeṣu: in the worlds/among people
• lokeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• gīyate: is sung/celebrated
• gīyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √gai (गै)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devamātā Sarasvatī (near Maṃkīśa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Mahādevī about a shrine of Devamātā Sarasvatī, indicating the south-west direction from Maṃkīśa; the Goddess is envisioned as Gaurī, serene and imperishable, presiding over a tīrtha landscape of Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Devamātā
• Sarasvatī
• Gaurī
• Maṃkīśa/Maṃkīśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The tīrtha landscape is mapped as a living divine presence—Devī manifests in specific forms and directions to guide devotion and pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devamātā Sarasvatī, located to the south-west of Maṃkīśvara within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is to proceed to (visit) Devamātā; no specific pūjā/dāna is detailed in this verse.