Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि नागस्थानमनुत्तमम् । मंकीशात्पश्चिमे भागे संगमत्रितयं गतम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi nāgasthānamanuttamam | maṃkīśātpaścime bhāge saṃgamatritayaṃ gatam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ മഹാദേവീ, മങ്കീശയുടെ പടിഞ്ഞാറ് ഭാഗത്ത് ത്രിസംഗമം ഉള്ള അത്യുത്തമമായ നാഗസ്ഥാനത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereafter)

• gacchet: should go
• gacchet: Kriya (Injunction/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; आदेश/विधानार्थे

• mahādevi: O great goddess
• mahādevi: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahādevī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; ‘महान् देवī’ इति कर्मधारयः

• nāga-sthānam: the abode of the Nāgas
• nāga-sthānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāga + sthāna (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘नागानां स्थानम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• anuttamam: unsurpassed
• anuttamam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (nāgasthānam)

• maṃkīśāt: from Maṃkīśa
• maṃkīśāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṃkīśa (प्रातिपदिक; स्थान/तीर्थनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; अपादाने (from)

• paścime: in the western
• paścime: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (bhāge)

• bhāge: part/region
• bhāge: Adhikarana (Place/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• saṃgama-tritayam: the triad of confluences
• saṃgama-tritayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃgama + tritaya (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘संगमानां त्रितयम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• gatam: reached/located
• gatam: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (कृदन्त; गम् धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; विशेषणम् (saṃgamatritayam) — ‘प्राप्तम्/स्थितम्’

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nāgasthāna / Traisaṅgama

Type: sangam

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Pārvatī about the route to Nāgasthāna; a map-like sacred landscape shows Maṃkīśa to the east and a western triple confluence with Nāga symbolism (serpent hoods, subterranean spring).

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Nāgasthāna
• Maṃkīśa
• Traisaṅgama (triple confluence)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is taught as a guided spiritual journey—Śiva himself maps sacred geography to lead seekers toward purifying tirthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nāgasthāna and the Traisaṅgama (triple confluence) near Maṃkīśa in the Prabhāsa region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yātrā instruction: to go/visit (gacchet) the specified tirtha locations.