Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

मंकीनाम ऋषिः पूर्वमासीत्स तपतां वरः । स च ज्ञात्वा महाक्षेत्रं प्रभासं शंकरप्रियम्

Transliteration

maṃkīnāma ṛṣiḥ pūrvamāsītsa tapatāṃ varaḥ | sa ca jñātvā mahākṣetraṃ prabhāsaṃ śaṃkarapriyam

Translation

പൂർവ്വകാലത്ത് മങ്കീ എന്നൊരു ഋഷി ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു, തപസ്വികളിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ; അവൻ പ്രഭാസം ശങ്കരപ്രിയമായ മഹാക്ഷേത്രമാണെന്ന് അറിഞ്ഞ്।

Word by Word

• मंकीनाम्: of the Maṃkīs
• मंकीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मंकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural)

• ऋषिः: sage
• ऋषिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पूर्वम्: formerly, earlier
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तपताम्: of the ascetics (those who practice austerity)
• तपताम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Plural); वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle)

• वरः: the best
• वरः: Karta (Predicate nominative/विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• ज्ञात्वा: having known
• ज्ञात्वा: Kriya (Non-finite action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (Absolutive/Gerund), अव्ययभाव (indeclinable verbal), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (prior action)

• महाक्षेत्रम्: the great sacred field (holy region)
• महाक्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक) + क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रभासम्: Prabhāsa
• प्रभासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• शंकरप्रियम्: dear to Śaṅkara
• शंकरप्रियम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Śaṅkara-sya priyaḥ = dear to Śaṅkara)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sage Maṃkī, austere and radiant, stands at Prabhāsa’s sacred landscape, perceiving its Śiva-beloved nature; subtle divine signs (light, bilva trees, liṅga aura) indicate the kṣetra’s power.

Characters & Entities

• Maṃkī Ṛṣi
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True ascetics recognize sacred geography as a means to deepen devotion; Prabhāsa is presented as especially dear to Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra (the larger sacred region) is highlighted as Śaṅkara’s beloved field, setting the stage for Maṃkīśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it introduces the sage and the sanctity of Prabhāsa.