Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

देवमाता च तत्रैव मंकीशस्तत्र तिष्ठति । नागस्थानं नगस्थानं तत्रैव समुदाहृतम् ।१

Transliteration

devamātā ca tatraiva maṃkīśastatra tiṣṭhati | nāgasthānaṃ nagasthānaṃ tatraiva samudāhṛtam |1

Translation

അവിടെയേ ദേവമാതാ വിരാജിക്കുന്നു; അവിടെയേ മങ്കീശനും വസിക്കുന്നു. അവിടെയേ ‘നാഗസ്ഥാനം’ എന്നും ‘നഗസ്ഥാനം’ എന്നും പറയപ്പെടുന്ന സ്ഥലങ്ങളും പ്രസിദ്ധമാണ്.

Word by Word

• devamātā: Devamātā (mother of the gods; place/name)
• devamātā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां माता)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordinator/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Nipāta (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• maṃkīśaḥ: Maṃkīśa (name of a deity/linga/place)
• maṃkīśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃkīśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• tiṣṭhati: stands/abides
• tiṣṭhati: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु; स्था)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• nāga-sthānam: Nāga-place (serpent shrine)
• nāga-sthānam: Karma/Predicate nominal (Object or complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga (प्रातिपदिक) + sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नागानां स्थानम्)

• naga-sthānam: mountain-place (place called Naga/Naga-sthāna)
• naga-sthānam: Karma/Predicate nominal (Object or complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naga (प्रातिपदिक) + sthāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (नगस्य/नगानां स्थानम्)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Nipāta (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• samudāhṛtam: is declared/mentioned
• samudāhṛtam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa / Predicate (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam-ud-ā-hṛ (धातु; सम्+उद्+आ+हृ) → samudāhṛta (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Prabhāsa Māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arkasthala (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra); Devamātā-sthāna; Maṃkīśa-sthāna; Nāgasthāna

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-map tableau: the Prabhāsa shoreline/flatlands with small shrine markers labeled Devamātā, Maṃkīśa, and Nāgasthāna; subtle nāga motifs near a mound or grove; priests guiding travelers.

Characters & Entities

• Devamātā
• Maṃkīśa
• Nāgasthāna
• Nagasthāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Māhātmya maps holiness through named shrines and tīrthas, guiding pilgrims to recognize divinity embedded in geography.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devamātā, Maṃkīśa, and the places called Nāgasthāna/Nagasthāna within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is stated; the verse functions as a tīrtha-catalog pointing to places for darśana and pilgrimage.