Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि प्रभासं जलसंस्थितम् । वृद्धप्रभासाद्दक्षिणतो नातिदूरे व्यवस्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi prabhāsaṃ jalasaṃsthitam | vṛddhaprabhāsāddakṣiṇato nātidūre vyavasthitam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ മഹാദേവീ, പുണ്യജലസമീപത്തിൽ സ്ഥിതമായ പ്രഭാസത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അത് വൃദ്ധപ്രഭാസത്തിന്റെ തെക്കായി അതിദൂരമല്ല।

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (the Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्ता (उवाच)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect; narrative past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ततः: then; from there
• ततः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रम/हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (from there/then)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महा देवी), स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• प्रभासम्: Prabhāsa
• प्रभासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (गच्छेत्)

• जल-संस्थितम्: situated in water
• जल-संस्थितम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक) + संस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त/PPP from सम्+स्था)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (जले संस्थितम्), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; प्रभासम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• वृद्ध-प्रभासात्: from Vṛddha-Prabhāsa
• वृद्ध-प्रभासात्: Apadana (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रभास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वृद्धः प्रभासः), पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान

• दक्षिणतः: to the south
• दक्षिणतः: Desha (Directional/दिशा-निर्देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिणतः (अव्यय)
• Form: दिशावाचक-अव्यय (directional adverb: 'to the south')

• न: not
• न: Sambandha/Negation (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• अति-दूरे: very far (in 'not very far')
• अति-दूरे: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अति (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (अति दूरम्), स्थानवाचक-अव्ययप्रयोग; 'not very far' इत्यर्थे न इत्यनेन सह

• व्यवस्थितम्: situated; located
• व्यवस्थितम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि+अव+स्था (धातु) → व्यवस्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त/PPP)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; प्रभासम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Devī, pointing southward toward a coastal tīrtha; pilgrims and a shimmering waterbody beside a shrine complex.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Prabhāsa
• Vṛddha-Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a guided sacred journey—Śiva himself indicates the tīrtha, emphasizing intentional movement toward holy places.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa tīrtha, described as water-associated and located south of Vṛddha-Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage instruction is implied—‘one should go’ to Prabhāsa; no specific snāna/dāna/japa is stated in this verse.