Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । तत्रैव मानवं लिंगं मनुना संप्रतिष्ठितम् । पूर्वं हत्वा सुतं देवि मनुः पापसमन्वितः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tatraiva mānavaṃ liṃgaṃ manunā saṃpratiṣṭhitam | pūrvaṃ hatvā sutaṃ devi manuḥ pāpasamanvitaḥ

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ ദേവി, അവിടെയേ മനു വിധിപൂർവ്വം ‘മാനവ’ എന്ന ലിംഗം പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ചു. മുൻകാലത്ത്, ഹേ ദേവി, സ്വന്തം പുത്രനെ വധിച്ചതിനാൽ മനു പാപഭാരത്തോടെ ആയിരുന്നു।

Word by Word

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

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• mānavam: human (pertaining to Manu)
• mānavam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying liṅgaṃ)

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन

• manunā: by Manu
• manunā: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (Instrumental); एकवचन

• saṃpratiṣṭhitam: was installed
• saṃpratiṣṭhitam: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-pra-sthā (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः (established/installed)

• pūrvam: formerly
• pūrvam: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pūrvam (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-नपुंसक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• hatvā: having killed
• hatvā: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु) + ktvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); पूर्वक्रिया (prior action)

• sutam: son
• sutam: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (Accusative); एकवचन

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative); एकवचन

• manuḥ: Manu
• manuḥ: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (Nominative); एकवचन

• pāpasamanvitaḥ: endowed with sin
• pāpasamanvitaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa-samanvita (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + समन्वित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (Nominative); एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying manuḥ)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mānava-liṅga

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Manu, grief-stricken, installs the ‘Mānava’ liṅga; Śiva’s presence is felt as compassionate witness; Devī listens as Śiva narrates the backstory.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Manu
• Mānava-liṅga (Mānavīśvara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even grave moral burden is addressed through repentance, sacred acts, and turning to Śiva in a consecrated tīrtha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mānavīśvara (the Mānava-liṅga) in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (formal installation) is referenced as Manu’s sacred act.