Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

यंयं काममभिध्याय संपूजयति मानवः । तंतं स लभते राजन्निष्कामो मोक्षमाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

yaṃyaṃ kāmamabhidhyāya saṃpūjayati mānavaḥ | taṃtaṃ sa labhate rājanniṣkāmo mokṣamāpnuyāt

Translation

മനുഷ്യൻ ഏത് ഏത് ആഗ്രഹം മനസ്സിൽ ധ്യാനിച്ച് ഗുഹേശ്വരനെ സമ്യകായി പൂജിക്കുന്നുവോ, ഹേ രാജാവേ, അവൻ അതത് ഫലം തന്നെ പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു; നിഷ്കാമമായി പൂജിക്കുന്നവൻ മോക്ഷം പ്രാപിക്കും.

Word by Word

• yam: whatever
• yam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; पुनरुक्ति (yam yam) — “whatever”

• yam: (any)
• yam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; पुनरुक्ति-बलार्थम्

• kāmam: desire
• kāmam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; अभिध्याय इत्यस्य कर्म

• abhidhyāya: having meditated on
• abhidhyāya: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: abhi-dhyai (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययीभावरूप कृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); “having meditated upon”

• saṃpūjayati: worships
• saṃpūjayati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-pūj (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• mānavaḥ: a man/person
• mānavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्ता

• tam: that
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; पुनरुक्ति (tam tam) — “that (result)”

• tam: (the same)
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; पुनरुक्ति-बलार्थम्

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्ता (मānavaḥ इत्यस्य अनुवृत्तिः)

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्

• rājan: O king
• rājan: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rājan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; संबोधनम्

• niṣkāmaḥ: desireless
• niṣkāmaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niṣ-kāma (प्रातिपदिक; निष् + काम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्तृविशेषणम्—“desireless”

• mokṣam: liberation
• mokṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; आप्नुयात् इत्यस्य कर्म

• āpnuyāt: would attain
• āpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्; सम्भावना/विधानम्

Speaker

Pulastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Guheśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (addressed as rājan; traditionally a royal interlocutor in tīrtha-māhātmya dialogues)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands before Guheśvara-liṅga in a cave-like sanctum, offering bilva and water; two contrasting inner states are shown—one with desire (iṣṭa) and one serene, desireless, oriented to mokṣa.

Characters & Entities

• Guheśvara
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇic ideal harmonizes worldly aims with the highest aim: devotion grants boons, but desireless worship culminates in mokṣa.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Guheśvara, whose worship is said to fulfill wishes and also grant liberation to the niṣkāma devotee.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (saṃpūjā) with focused contemplation; the verse distinguishes sakāma (with desire) and niṣkāma (without desire) approaches.