Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

चक्षुर्मंडलमध्ये तु यथा देवि कनीनिका । पूर्वपश्चिमतो देवि गोमुखादाऽश्वमेधिकम्

Transliteration

cakṣurmaṃḍalamadhye tu yathā devi kanīnikā | pūrvapaścimato devi gomukhādā'śvamedhikam

Translation

ഹേ ദേവി, കണ്ണിന്റെ മണ്ഡലമദ്ധ്യേ കണിനിക (പുപിൽ) ഇരിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ, അതുപോലെ—ഹേ ദേവി—ഈ പ്രദേശം കിഴക്ക്–പടിഞ്ഞാറ് ഗോമുഖത്തിൽ നിന്ന് അശ്വമേധികം വരെ വ്യാപിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• चक्षुः: of the eye
• चक्षुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मण्डल: of the orb/circle
• मण्डल: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे (in the middle)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थ

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Upamana marker (comparison)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानवाचक (comparative)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• कनीनिका: the pupil (of the eye)
• कनीनिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनीनिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पूर्व: from the east
• पूर्व: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; दिशावाचक

• पश्चिमतः: from the westward side
• पश्चिमतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• देवि: O Goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• गोमुखात्: from Gomukha
• गोमुखात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गोस्य मुखम्)

• आ: up to/towards
• आ: Directional marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्ग/निपात (up to, towards)

• अश्वमेधिकम्: (the place) called Aśvamedhika / pertaining to the Aśvamedha
• अश्वमेधिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मेधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अश्वमेधसम्बन्धि)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced: continuing address to Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomukha–Aśvamedhika axis within Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī/Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic composition: an eye-shaped mandala over the landscape, with the pupil as the central shrine; labels at the horizontal ends: Gomukha (east) and Aśvamedhika (west) marking the span.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Gomukha
• Aśvamedhika

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred space is not abstract; it is described with precise boundaries to guide pilgrimage and focused devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, with an east–west span marked by Gomukha and Aśvamedhika.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; it provides pilgrimage geography (dik-nirdeśa) for locating the sanctified centre.