Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

तत्र यः पूजयेद्भक्त्या तल्लिंगं पापमोचनम् । स पुत्रपशुमान्धीमान्मोदते पृथिवीतले

Transliteration

tatra yaḥ pūjayedbhaktyā talliṃgaṃ pāpamocanam | sa putrapaśumāndhīmānmodate pṛthivītale

Translation

അവിടെ ഭക്തിയോടെ ആ പാപമോചക ലിംഗത്തെ പൂജിക്കുന്നവൻ പുത്ര‑പശുസമ്പത്തോടും സദ്ബുദ്ധിയോടും കൂടെ ഭൂമിയിൽ ആനന്ദത്തോടെ വസിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• पूजयेत्: should worship
• पूजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपदम्

• भक्त्या: with devotion
• भक्त्या: Karana (Means/Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• तत्-लिङ्गम्: that liṅga
• तत्-लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• पाप-मोचनम्: sin-removing
• पाप-मोचनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + मोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (for liṅga)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुत्र-पशु-मान्: possessing sons and cattle
• पुत्र-पशु-मान्: Predicate adjective (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + पशु (प्रातिपदिक) + मतुप्-प्रत्ययान्त मान् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); मतुप् (possessive suffix)

• धीमान्: intelligent
• धीमान्: Predicate adjective (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धीमत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• मोदते: rejoices
• मोदते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपदम्

• पृथिवी-तले: on the surface of the earth
• पृथिवी-तले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक) + तल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mārkaṇḍeyeśa (liṅga) in Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in simple garments worships a radiant, pāpa-mocana Śiva-liṅga at Prabhāsa; offerings of water and bilva; nearby sages and coastal light suggest the sanctity of the kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Devī
• Nīlakaṇṭha/Guhāliṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti offered at a sanctified liṅga yields both inner purification (pāpa-mocana) and worldly well-being aligned with dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nīlakaṇṭha, the Guhāliṅga near Mārkaṇḍeya in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Devotional worship (bhaktyā pūjā) of the liṅga at that site.