Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । तृतीयो भैरवः प्रोक्तश्चतुर्थं भैरवं शृणु । ब्रह्मेशात्पश्चिमे भागे धनुषां त्रितये स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tṛtīyo bhairavaḥ proktaścaturthaṃ bhairavaṃ śṛṇu | brahmeśātpaścime bhāge dhanuṣāṃ tritaye sthitam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു— മൂന്നാമത്തെ ഭൈരവനെ പ്രസ്താവിച്ചു; ഇനി നാലാമത്തെ ഭൈരവനെ ശ്രവിക്ക. ബ്രഹ്മേശന്റെ പടിഞ്ഞാറ് ഭാഗത്ത്, മൂന്നു ധനുസ്സിന്റെ അകലത്തിൽ അവൻ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तृतीयः: the third
• तृतीयः: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण — qualifies 'भैरवः'

• भैरवः: Bhairava
• भैरवः: Karta (Topic/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• प्रोक्तः: has been described
• प्रोक्तः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'has been described'

• चतुर्थम्: the fourth
• चतुर्थम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक विशेषण — qualifies 'भैरवम्'

• भैरवम्: Bhairava
• भैरवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैरव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• शृणु: hear
• शृणु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (imperative); परस्मैपद; मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मेशात्: from Brahmeśa
• ब्रह्मेशात्: Apadana (Reference point/from/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (ब्रह्मा च ईशः) — 'from Brahmā and Īśa/Śiva' (as a dual-deity title)

• पश्चिमे: in the western
• पश्चिमे: Adhikarana (Qualifier/अधिकरण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; दिशावाचक विशेषण — qualifies 'भागे'

• भागे: part/region
• भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन

• धनुषाम्: of bows (as a measure)
• धनुषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive measure/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• त्रितये: in a set of three
• त्रितये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; 'in a triad/threefold measure'

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'situated/placed' (refers to the shrine/linga implicitly)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāradeśvara Bhairava (fourth Bhairava in sequence)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs about the fourth Bhairava’s placement: a shrine to the west of Brahmeśa, measured by three bow-lengths, within the coastal sacred landscape of Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Īśvara)
• Bhairava
• Brahmeśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma ties spiritual merit to sacred geography, presenting the kṣetra as an ordered divine landscape.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra—specifically the shrine-locations around Brahmeśa and the Bhairava placement.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it provides a directional/locational instruction for pilgrimage orientation.