Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि गोपालस्वामिनं हरिम् । चण्डीशात्पूर्वदिग्भागे धनुषां विंशतौ स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi gopālasvāminaṃ harim | caṇḍīśātpūrvadigbhāge dhanuṣāṃ viṃśatau sthitam

Translation

ಈಶ್ವರನು ಉವಾಚ—ಹೇ ಮಹಾದೇವಿ! ತದನಂತರ ಗೋಪಾಲಸ್ವಾಮಿ ಎಂಬ ಹರಿಯ ಬಳಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಬೇಕು. ಅವನು ಚಂಡೀಶನ ಪೂರ್ವ ದಿಕ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತು ಧನುಷಗಳ ದೂರದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ಥಿತನಾಗಿದ್ದಾನೆ।

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• ततः: then/from there
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/देशवाचक-अव्यय (then/from there)

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

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

• गोपाल-स्वामिनम्: Gopālasvāmin (Lord of cowherds)
• गोपाल-स्वामिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपाल (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—गोपालस्य स्वामी

• हरिम्: Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चण्डीशात्: from Caṇḍīśa
• चण्डीशात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चण्डीश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• पूर्व-दिक्-भागे: in the eastern direction-part
• पूर्व-दिक्-भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + दिक् (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—पूर्वायां दिशि भागः

• धनुषाम्: of bows (measure)
• धनुषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• विंशतौ: at twenty (bows)
• विंशतौ: Adhikarana (Measure/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विंशति (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; संख्या-शब्दः

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + क्त
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘हरिम्/स्वामिनम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gopāla-svāmin (Hari)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Devī on the Prabhāsa pilgrimage route; a map-like composition shows a shrine of Caṇḍīśa and, to its east, the Gopāla-svāmin Hari temple, with a measured path between them.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Mahādevī
• Gopāla-svāmin
• Hari
• Caṇḍīśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a disciplined, map-like sacred journey—moving from shrine to shrine with reverence and intention.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The shrine of Hari as Gopāla-svāmin within Prabhāsa-kṣetra, located east of Caṇḍīśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A simple prescription to ‘go’ (gacchet) to the deity—i.e., undertake darśana/pilgrimage to the stated shrine.