Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि मंकीश्वर महालयम् । रामेशादुत्तरे भागे देवमातुः समीपगम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi maṃkīśvara mahālayam | rāmeśāduttare bhāge devamātuḥ samīpagam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹാദേവീ! തുടർന്ന് രാമേശന്റെ ഉത്തരഭാഗത്ത്, ദേവമാതാവിന്റെ സമീപത്തുള്ള മങ്കീശ്വര മഹാലയത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം।

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/परोक्ष), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Sequence/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद् + तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (then/from there)

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

• महादेवि: O great Goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती देवी)

• मंकीश्वर: Maṃkīśvara
• मंकीश्वर: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मंकी (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मंकी-सम्बद्ध ईश्वरः)

• महालयम्: great abode/temple
• महालयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महालय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• रामेशात्: from Rāmeśa (Rāmeśvara)
• रामेशात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रामेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान

• उत्तरे: in the northern
• उत्तरे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; विशेषण; ‘in the northern’ (agreeing with भागे)

• भागे: in the region/part
• भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• देवमातुः: of Devamātā / of the god’s mother
• देवमातुः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (देवस्य मातृ = mother of the god / Devamātā as a toponym)

• समीपगम्: situated near
• समीपगम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समीप (प्रातिपदिक) + ग (प्रातिपदिक; √गम् ‘going’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (समीपं गच्छति = situated near)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṃkīśvara Mahālaya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī like a guide, pointing northward on a sacred map; in the distance, a prominent temple complex (mahālaya) labeled Maṃkīśvara, with another shrine marker ‘Devamātṛ’ nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Maṃkīśvara
• Rāmeśa/Rāmeśvara
• Devamātṛ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is mapped as a sacred sequence, guiding devotees from one power-center to another.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṃkīśvara Mahālaya in Prabhāsakṣetra, located north of Rāmeśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directive to proceed (gacchet) to the Maṃkīśvara shrine as part of the tīrtha-yātrā.