Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

प्रतिज्ञेश्वरमित्येव लिंगं परमशोभनम् । अष्टम्यां बहुले चात्र चैत्रे स्नात्वा उपोष्य च

Transliteration

pratijñeśvaramityeva liṃgaṃ paramaśobhanam | aṣṭamyāṃ bahule cātra caitre snātvā upoṣya ca

Translation

ആ പരമശോഭനമായ ലിംഗം ‘പ്രതിജ്ഞേശ്വരം’ എന്ന പേരിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധമാണ്. ഇവിടെ ചൈത്രമാസത്തിലെ കൃഷ്ണപക്ഷ അഷ്ടമിയിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ഉപവസിച്ച്…

Word by Word

• pratijñeśvaram: Pratijñeśvara (Lord of the vow/promise)
• pratijñeśvaram: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratijñā-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: प्रतिज्ञायाः ईश्वरः); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Accusative Singular)

• iti: thus (named)
• iti: Sambandha (Naming/quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative particle)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphatic particle)

• liṃgam: liṅga
• liṃgam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Accusative Singular)

• paramaśobhanam: supremely beautiful
• paramaśobhanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama-śobhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (परमं शोभनम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (agreeing with liṅgam)

• aṣṭamyām: on the eighth (tithi)
• aṣṭamyām: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṣṭamī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative Singular)

• bahule: in the dark fortnight
• bahule: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bahula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative Singular); पक्षविशेषे ‘बहुलपक्षे’ (dark fortnight)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• caitre: in (the month of) Caitra
• caitre: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: caitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (मास-नाम); सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Locative Singular)

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); √स्ना (to bathe)

• upoṣya: having fasted
• upoṣya: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√vas (धातु) + ya (ल्यप्)
• Form: ल्यबन्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive); उपोष्य = उपवासं कृत्वा; √वस् (to dwell/fast) with उपसर्ग उप-

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

Speaker

Narrator (continuing the Mahatmya statement)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pratijñeśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The splendid liṅga is revealed and named Pratijñeśvara; devotees bathe and undertake fasting on Caitra dark-half aṣṭamī, preparing for worship.

Characters & Entities

• Pratijñeśvara (Śiva-liṅga)
• Caitra (month)
• Aṣṭamī (tithi)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A properly timed vrata—rooted in bathing and fasting—turns a sacred site into a direct instrument of purification and merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pratijñeśvara Liṅga-sthala is explicitly praised as a named shrine within this sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

On Caitra kṛṣṇa-pakṣa aṣṭamī: perform snāna (ritual bath) and upavāsa (fast), as part of worship at Pratijñeśvara.