Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि पुलस्त्येश्वरमुत्तमम् । मार्कंडेयोत्तेरे भागे धनुषां पञ्चके स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi pulastyeśvaramuttamam | mārkaṃḍeyottere bhāge dhanuṣāṃ pañcake sthitam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹാദേവി, തുടർന്ന് ഉത്തമമായ പുലസ്ത്യേശ്വര ക്ഷേത്രത്തിലേക്ക് പോകണം; അത് മാർകണ്ഡേയന്റെ വടക്കുഭാഗത്ത് അഞ്ചു ധനുസ്സിന്റെ ദൂരത്തിൽ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു।

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• महादेवि: O Mahādevī
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• पुलस्त्येश्वरम्: Pulastyeśvara (Lord Pulastya)
• पुलस्त्येश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent; supreme
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying पुलस्त्येश्वरम्)

• मार्कण्डेय-उत्तरे: in the northern (part) of Mārkaṇḍeya (tīrtha/area)
• मार्कण्डेय-उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मार्कण्डेय (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (स्थानवाचक-विशेषण), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying भागे)

• भागे: in the region/part
• भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• धनुषाम्: of bows (a measure of distance)
• धनुषाम्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• पञ्चके: in the set of five
• पञ्चके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• स्थितम्: situated; located
• स्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) → स्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past Passive Participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying पुलस्त्येश्वरम्)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pulastyeśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara instructs Devī on the next stop: a clear directional cue—‘to the north of Mārkaṇḍeya, five dhanu-lengths’—with the landscape of Prabhāsa and a small shrine ahead.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Pulastyeśvara
• Mārkaṇḍeya (as a local reference point)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames pilgrimage as guided sacred geography: moving from one sanctified point to another under Śiva’s instruction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pulastyeśvara in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, located north of the Mārkaṇḍeya sacred spot.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The instruction is pilgrimage (gacchet—one should go); detailed rites appear in subsequent verses.