Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । क्रत्वीशात्पूर्वदिग्भागे धनुःषोडशकान्तरे । कश्यपेश्वरनामानं महापातकनाशनम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | kratvīśātpūrvadigbhāge dhanuḥṣoḍaśakāntare | kaśyapeśvaranāmānaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു— ക്രത്വീശ്വരന്റെ കിഴക്കുദിക്കിൽ പതിനാറു ധനുസ്സിന്റെ അകലത്തിൽ ‘കശ്യപേശ്വര’ എന്ന നാമത്തിലുള്ള ലിംഗം ഉണ്ട്; അത് മഹാപാതകനാശിനിയാണ്.

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Speaker)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kratvīśāt: from Kratvīśa
• kratvīśāt: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: kratvīśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• pūrva: eastern
• pūrva: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; दिशावाचक-विशेषण

• digbhāge: in the direction-part (region)
• digbhāge: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś-bhāga (प्रातिपदिक; दिश् + भाग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• dhanuḥ: a bow (measure)
• dhanuḥ: Visheshana (Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; मापवाचक

• ṣoḍaśaka: sixteen
• ṣoḍaśaka: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣoḍaśaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (sixteenfold)

• antare: at a distance/interval
• antare: Adhikarana (Distance-locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति; एकवचन

• kaśyapeśvara: Kaśyapeśvara
• kaśyapeśvara: Karma (Object as name)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaśyapa-īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; कश्यप + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (नामरूप)

• nāmānam: the name
• nāmānam: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन

• mahāpātakanāśanam: destroyer of great sins
• mahāpātakanāśanam: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā-pātaka-nāśana (प्रातिपदिक; महा + पातक + नाशन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘nāmānam’)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kaśyapeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara instructs Devī, pointing eastward from a shrine labeled Kratvīśvara; in the distance, another liṅga shrine appears with a sign 'Kaśyapeśvara'; a pilgrim path is measured symbolically by a bow (dhanu) motif repeated sixteen times along the ground.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Kratvīśvara
• Kaśyapeśvara
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Approaching Śiva in a sanctified kṣetra is portrayed as a potent means for purification, even from grave wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kaśyapeśvara, situated east of Kratvīśvara within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A pilgrimage directive is implied—go to the site and behold it—though no detailed rite is specified in this verse.