Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि लिंगं पापविमोचनम् । हिरण्येश्वरवायव्ये धनुषां त्रितये स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi liṃgaṃ pāpavimocanam | hiraṇyeśvaravāyavye dhanuṣāṃ tritaye sthitam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അനന്തരം, ഹേ മഹാദേവി, പാപവിമോചനകരമായ ആ ലിംഗത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; ഹിരണ്യേശ്വരന്റെ വായവ്യ (വടക്കുപടിഞ്ഞാറ്) ദിശയിൽ മൂന്നു ധനുസ്സിന്റെ ദൂരത്തിൽ അത് സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു।

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनन्तरं (thereupon)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Injunctive action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन; ‘महा + देवी’

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

• पापविमोचनम्: sin-removing
• पापविमोचनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + विमोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण; ‘पापस्य विमोचनम्’

• हिरण्येश्वरवायव्ये: in the north-west of Hiraṇyeśvara
• हिरण्येश्वरवायव्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्येश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + वायव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; दिक्-निर्देशः; ‘हिरण्येश्वरस्य वायव्ये (कोणे)’

• धनुषाम्: of bows (as a measure)
• धनुषाम्: Sambandha (Measure-genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी विभक्ति; बहुवचन

• त्रितये: in a triad (three)
• त्रितये: Adhikarana (Measure-locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; ‘in a set of three’

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थित (√स्था धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; (agreeing with लिङ्गम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pāpa-vimocana-liṅga (as described) near Hiraṇyeśvara in Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara instructs Mahādevī, pointing out a nearby liṅga within Prabhāsa; the landscape shows clustered shrines, a pilgrim path, and a directional cue toward the northwest from Hiraṇyeśvara.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī
• Hiraṇyeśvara
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is guided dharma: approaching specific liṅgas at sacred sites is presented as a means of purification from sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra—specifically the area around Hiraṇyeśvara and a nearby pāpavimocana liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction: go to the sin-removing liṅga located northwest of Hiraṇyeśvara at a measured distance (three bow-lengths).