Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि मार्कण्डेयेशमुत्तमम् । तस्मादुत्तरदिग्भागे मार्कण्डेन प्रतिष्ठितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi mārkaṇḍeyeśamuttamam | tasmāduttaradigbhāge mārkaṇḍena pratiṣṭhitam

Translation

イーシュヴァラは言われた。「それから、おお大女神よ、最上のマールカンデーヤイーシュヴァラへ赴くがよい。そこから北の方角に、マールカンデーによって建立された聖所がある。」

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then; from there
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• मार्कण्डेयेशम्: the Lord of Mārkaṇḍeya (Mārkaṇḍeyeśa)
• मार्कण्डेयेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्डेय + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: supreme; excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying मार्कण्डेयेशम्)

• तस्मात्: from that (place)
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तस्मात् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक तद्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• उत्तर-दिक्-भागे: in the northern direction-part
• उत्तर-दिक्-भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर + दिक् + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• मार्कण्डेन: by Mārkaṇḍa
• मार्कण्डेन: Karana (Instrument/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्कण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• प्रतिष्ठितम्: established; installed
• प्रतिष्ठितम्: Kriya (Result state/क्रिया-फल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (स्थापितम्/प्रतिष्ठापितम्)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Pārvatī on the next stop in the Prabhāsa pilgrimage: proceed to the supreme Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara, situated to the north; the shrine is shown as a liṅga sanctum with directional markers.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī
• Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara
• Mārkaṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prabhāsa is mapped as a living sacred landscape, where visiting specific Śiva-liṅgas is itself a dharmic practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara in Prabhāsakṣetra, a liṅga established by the sage Mārkaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction: proceed from the prior site to Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara located to the north.