Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

धनुषां पंचदशके कपालेश्वरतः स्थितम् । लिंगं महाप्रभावं हि सर्वपातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

dhanuṣāṃ paṃcadaśake kapāleśvarataḥ sthitam | liṃgaṃ mahāprabhāvaṃ hi sarvapātakanāśanam

Translation

കപാലേശ്വരത്തിൽ നിന്ന് പതിനഞ്ച് ധനുസ്സ് ദൂരത്ത് മഹാപ്രഭാവമുള്ള ലിംഗം സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു; അത് സർവ്വ മഹാപാതകങ്ങളും നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• dhanuṣām: of bows
• dhanuṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• paṃcadaśake: within fifteen (bows’ distance)
• paṃcadaśake: Adhikarana (Measure-locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃca-daśaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; परिमाण-अधिकरण (within a measure of fifteen)

• kapāleśvarataḥ: from Kapāleśvara
• kapāleśvarataḥ: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kapāla-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘from Kapāleśvara’

• sthitam: situated
• sthitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle/कृदन्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘standing/situated’

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• mahāprabhāvam: of great power
• mahāprabhāvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā-prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण—‘liṅgam’

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/indeed)

• sarvapātakanāśanam: destroyer of all sins
• sarvapātakanāśanam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva-pātaka-nāśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण—‘liṅgam’

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (contextual continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣemeśvara-liṅga (indicated as near Kapāleśvara)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim path in sandy-coastal Prabhāsa; Kapāleśvara shrine in the background; a measured distance marker leading to a radiant liṅga signifying ‘sarva-pātaka-nāśana’.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣemeśvara
• Kapāleśvara
• Śiva-liṅga
• Pātaka (grave sins)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text emphasizes the redemptive power of tīrtha-darśana, presenting sacred space as a means of moral and karmic purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kṣemeśvara (a powerful liṅga), located fifteen dhanuṣ from Kapāleśvara in Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No detailed ritual is listed; the implied act is pilgrimage and darśana of the liṅga for purification.