Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तस्य मध्ये तु सुश्रोणि लिंगं पूर्वमुखं स्थितम् । तस्मिन्पाशुपताः सिद्धा अघोराद्या महर्षयः । अनेनैव शरीरेण गतास्ते शिवमन्दिरम्

Transliteration

tasya madhye tu suśroṇi liṃgaṃ pūrvamukhaṃ sthitam | tasminpāśupatāḥ siddhā aghorādyā maharṣayaḥ | anenaiva śarīreṇa gatāste śivamandiram

Translation

അതിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ, ഓ സുശ്രോണീ! കിഴക്കോട്ട് മുഖമുള്ള ഒരു ലിംഗം സ്ഥാപിതമാണ്. അവിടെ അഘോരാദി പാശുപത മഹർഷിമാർ സിദ്ധരായി, ഈ ദേഹത്തോടുകൂടി തന്നെ ശിവധാമത്തിലേക്ക് ഗമിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• तस्य: of it/that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

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

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/अनुक्रम particle)

• सुश्रोणि: O fair-hipped one
• सुश्रोणि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु-श्रोणि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (सु + श्रोणि)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पूर्व-मुखम्: east-facing
• पूर्व-मुखम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (पूर्वं मुखं यस्य) विशेषण (qualifying लिङ्गम्)

• स्थितम्: situated, standing
• स्थितम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) (कृदन्त: क्त/PPP)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying लिङ्गम्)

• तस्मिन्: in that (place)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पाशुपताः: Pāśupatas
• पाशुपताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाशुपत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• सिद्धाः: accomplished, perfected
• सिद्धाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying पाशुपताः)

• अघोर-आद्याः: beginning with Aghora
• अघोर-आद्याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अघोर (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (अघोरः आदिः येषाम्) विशेषण (qualifying महर्षयः)

• महर्षयः: great sages
• महर्षयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महर्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• अनेन: by/with this
• अनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अवधारण/emphasis)

• शरीरेण: with the body
• शरीरेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• गताः: went
• गताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) (कृदन्त: क्त/PPP)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त) प्रयुक्तः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्रियार्थे (finite sense: 'went')

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• शिव-मन्दिरम्: Śiva’s temple
• शिव-मन्दिरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + मन्दिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (शिवस्य मन्दिरम्)

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Devī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pūrvamukha-liṅga in Śrīmukha-vana (Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī/Devī (addressed as Suśroṇi)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the forest’s heart stands an east-facing liṅga at sunrise; Pāśupata sages (Aghora and others) complete their sādhana; a visionary moment shows them rising, still embodied, toward a luminous Śiva-mandira in the sky.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Devī
• Liṅga (east-facing)
• Pāśupatas
• Aghora
• Śiva-mandira
• Śrīmukha-vana
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Intense devotion and yogic discipline at a consecrated Liṅga can grant siddhi so complete it is described as reaching Śiva’s abode in the very body.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The east-facing Liṅga situated in the center of Śrīmukha-vana within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

While no step-by-step ritual is listed, the verse centers on Pāśupata practice and Liṅga-upāsanā as the means to siddhi.