Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि महाप्रभासमुत्तमम् । जलप्रभासतो याम्ये यममार्गविघातकम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi mahāprabhāsamuttamam | jalaprabhāsato yāmye yamamārgavighātakam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അതിനുശേഷം, മഹാദേവീ, ജലപ്രഭാസത്തിന്റെ തെക്കുഭാഗത്ത് സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്ന യമമാർഗ്ഗത്തെ തടയുന്ന ആ ഉത്തമ മഹാപ്രഭാസത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം.

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; वक्ता/कर्ता

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्काल), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय (काल/अनन्तरता adverb)

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

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक; महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• महाप्रभासम्: to Mahāprabhāsa
• महाप्रभासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाप्रभास (प्रातिपदिक; महा + प्रभास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म (object of गच्छेत्)

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण to महाप्रभासम्

• जलप्रभासतः: from Jalaprabhāsa
• जलप्रभासतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जलप्रभास (प्रातिपदिक; जल + प्रभास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादान (source)

• याम्ये: in the southern (direction)
• याम्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: याम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषण (directional) with implied देशे

• यममार्गविघातकम्: that which obstructs Yama’s path
• यममार्गविघातकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यम-मार्ग-विघातक (प्रातिपदिक; यम + मार्ग + विघातक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण to महाप्रभासम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahāprabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Pārvatī on a pilgrimage route; a map-like landscape shows Jalaprabhāsa to the north and Mahāprabhāsa to the south. Yama’s dark procession is halted at an invisible boundary near the tīrtha, while pilgrims proceed safely with lamps and banners.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Mahāprabhāsa
• Jalaprabhāsa
• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is framed as a dharmic journey where sacred geography becomes protection from mortality’s fear and a support for liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahāprabhāsa, described as south of Jalaprabhāsa, famed for negating the ‘path of Yama’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directional prescription: ‘one should go’ to Mahāprabhāsa as part of the Prabhāsa pilgrimage circuit.