Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

लिंगानां द्वितयं पूर्वे पश्चिमे सम्मुखद्वयम् । कुशकेश्वरनामेति लिंगं वै प्रथमं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

liṃgānāṃ dvitayaṃ pūrve paścime sammukhadvayam | kuśakeśvaranāmeti liṃgaṃ vai prathamaṃ smṛtam

Translation

ലിംഗങ്ങളിൽ രണ്ട് കിഴക്കുഭാഗത്ത്, പടിഞ്ഞാറ് അവയ്ക്കെതിരായി രണ്ട് ഉണ്ട്. ആദ്യ ലിംഗം ‘കുശകേശ്വര’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• liṃgānām: of liṅgas
• liṃgānām: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन

• dvitayam: a pair (two)
• dvitayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvitaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; ‘द्वयम्’ = pair

• pūrve: in the east
• pūrve: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; ‘पूर्वे (दिशि)’

• paścime: in the west
• paścime: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; ‘पश्चिमे (दिशि)’

• sammukha-dvayam: a pair facing (front)
• sammukha-dvayam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sammukha (प्रातिपदिक) + dvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; ‘सम्मुख’ इति विशेषणेन ‘द्वय’

• kuśakeśvara-nāma: named Kuśakeśvara
• kuśakeśvara-nāma: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kuśakeśvara (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; ‘कुशकेश्वर-नाम’ = having the name Kuśakeśvara (qualifies liṃgam)

• iti: thus
• iti: Quotation marker (इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-उक्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative)

• liṃgam: the liṅga
• liṃgam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• vai: indeed
• vai: Emphasis (निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• prathamam: the first
• prathamam: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prathama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम् (qualifies liṃgam)

• smṛtam: is said/recorded
• smṛtam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रियासमाना)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √smṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘स्मृतम्’ = is said/remembered

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continued from 173.1)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kuśakeśvara (within the Catuṣliṅga precinct)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compact shrine-courtyard showing four liṅgas arranged in two facing pairs, with the first highlighted as Kuśakeśvara.

Characters & Entities

• Kuśakeśvara
• Four liṅgas (catuṣṭaya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Purāṇa frames geography as theology: names and placements of liṅgas are part of the sacred revelation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The four-liṅga cluster in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, beginning with Kuśakeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit darśana/visit of the liṅgas; this verse primarily gives location and naming.