Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

पूर्वं तस्यैव लिंगस्य वसिष्ठेशेति नाम वै । तत्पश्चाज्जानकीशेति त्रेतायां प्रथितं क्षितौ

Transliteration

pūrvaṃ tasyaiva liṃgasya vasiṣṭheśeti nāma vai | tatpaścājjānakīśeti tretāyāṃ prathitaṃ kṣitau

Translation

മുമ്പ് അതേ ലിംഗം ‘വസിഷ്ഠേശ’ എന്ന പേരിൽ അറിയപ്പെട്ടു; പിന്നീട് ത്രേതായുഗത്തിൽ ഭൂമിയിൽ അത് ‘ജാനകീശ’ എന്നായി പ്രസിദ്ധമായി.

Word by Word

• pūrvam: formerly; earlier
• pūrvam: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषणम्

• tasya: of that
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे

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

• liṃgasya: of the liṅga
• liṃgasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे

• vasiṣṭheśa: Vasiṣṭheśa
• vasiṣṭheśa: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vasiṣṭha-īśa (प्रातिपदिक; वसिष्ठ + ईश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नामरूपेण (as a name)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः (quotative)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Sambandha (Apposition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; नाम-शब्दः (naming particle)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• tatpaścāt: after that
• tatpaścāt: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tat-paścāt (अव्यय; तत् + पश्चात्)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; कालवाचक अव्ययम्

• jānakīśa: Jānakīśa
• jānakīśa: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jānakī-īśa (प्रातिपदिक; जानकी + ईश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नामरूपेण

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इति-शब्दः

• tretāyām: in the Tretā (age)
• tretāyām: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tretā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे (time-locative)

• prathitam: became renowned
• prathitam: Kriya (State/result/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-√thā (था धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘(liṅgam)’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• kṣitau: on the earth
• kṣitau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरणे

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vasiṣṭheśa / Jānakīśa

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A shrine-liṅga shown with two name-panels or symbolic attendants: Vasiṣṭha performing Vedic worship in an earlier epoch; Sītā worshipping in Tretā-yuga, indicating the same liṅga’s evolving fame.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Vasiṣṭha
• Jānakī (Sītā)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred places and liṅgas carry layered yuga-wise traditions; remembering their ancient names deepens reverence and faith in tīrtha-māhātmya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, specifically the liṅga later famed as Jānakīśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct rite is prescribed here; the verse establishes the liṅga’s traditional names and yuga-based fame.