Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

एषामन्वेषमाणानां तव देवी ह्यरुंधती । अपश्यल्लिंगमेकं तु वृक्षजालांतरे स्थितम्

Transliteration

eṣāmanveṣamāṇānāṃ tava devī hyaruṃdhatī | apaśyalliṃgamekaṃ tu vṛkṣajālāṃtare sthitam

Translation

അവർ അന്വേഷിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കെ, നിങ്ങളുടെ ദേവിയായ അരുന്ധതി വൃക്ഷക്കൂട്ടത്തിനകത്ത് മറഞ്ഞിരുന്ന ഒരു ശിവലിംഗം കണ്ടു.

Word by Word

• एषाम्: of these (them)
• एषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• अन्वेषमाणानाम्: of those who were searching
• अन्वेषमाणानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनु+इष् (धातु) → अन्वेषमाण (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्; आत्मनेपद-प्राय), पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (एषाम्)

• तव: your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• देवी: the goddess
• देवी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अरुंधती: Arundhatī
• अरुंधती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अरुंधती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवी-विशेषण/अप्पोजिशन

• अपश्यत्: saw
• अपश्यत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (लिङ्गम्)

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेष-निपात (adversative/emphatic particle)

• वृक्षजालान्तरे: within the thicket of trees
• वृक्षजालान्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष+जाल+अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—वृक्षाणां जालस्य अन्तरम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• स्थितम्: situated, standing
• स्थितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (लिङ्गम्)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced from Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gupta-liṅga within Prabhāsa (unnamed in the given verse)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame implied; not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Arundhatī, luminous and composed, parts a dense screen of trees and vines to reveal a solitary Śiva-liṅga nestled within the thicket; companions search in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Arundhatī
• Śiva
• Liṅga
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine grace reveals sacred presence even when it is hidden; sincere seeking leads to darśana of Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where a liṅga is encountered within the sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is prescribed here; the verse sets up liṅga-darśana as the basis for later worship.