Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

पूर्वं त्रेतायुगे देवि स्पर्शलिंगं तु तत्स्मृतम् । दिव्यं तेजोमयं नृणां स्पर्शनान्मुक्तिदायकम्

Transliteration

pūrvaṃ tretāyuge devi sparśaliṃgaṃ tu tatsmṛtam | divyaṃ tejomayaṃ nṛṇāṃ sparśanānmuktidāyakam

Translation

പൂർവ്വം, ദേവീ, ത്രേതായുഗത്തിൽ ഇത് ‘സ്പർശലിംഗം’ എന്നായിരുന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധി—ദിവ്യ തേജോമയ ലിംഗം; അതിന്റെ സ്പർശമാത്രം മനുഷ്യർക്കു മോക്ഷം നൽകും.

Word by Word

• पूर्वम्: formerly
• पूर्वम्: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक adverb: ‘formerly’)

• त्रेतायुगे: in the Tretā age
• त्रेतायुगे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता-युग (प्रातिपदिक; त्रेता + युग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (time-locative)

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• स्पर्शलिङ्गम्: the ‘Sparśa-liṅga’
• स्पर्शलिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पर्श-लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक; स्पर्श + लिङ्ग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्ता/विषय (that which is spoken of)

• तु: indeed / and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/अन्वय particle)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; अन्वय (correlative)

• स्मृतम्: is remembered / was known
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Passive predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) + स्मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण to (स्पर्शलिङ्गम्)

• तेजोमयम्: made of radiance
• तेजोमयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तेजस्-मय (प्रातिपदिक; तेजस् + मय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण to (स्पर्शलिङ्गम्)

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध

• स्पर्शनात्: from touching
• स्पर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पर्शन (प्रातिपदिक; action noun from स्पृश्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतुः/अपादान (cause: ‘from/by touch’)

• मुक्तिदायकम्: granting liberation
• मुक्तिदायकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्ति-दायक (प्रातिपदिक; मुक्ति + दायक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण to (स्पर्शलिङ्गम्)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sparśa-liṅga (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A radiant, self-luminous liṅga called Sparśa-liṅga in Tretā-yuga; devotees attain mokṣa by mere touch; the air shimmers with divine brilliance.

Characters & Entities

• Tretā-yuga
• Sparśa-liṅga
• Liṅga (Śiva)
• Mukti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s presence in a tīrtha can be so potent that even simple devotional contact (sparśa) becomes liberating when joined with faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mahāprabhāsa context site, characterized in ancient time by the Sparśa-liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sparśana (touching) the liṅga is described as a liberating act.