Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि लिंगं त्रैलोक्यपूजितम् । गात्रोत्सर्गमिति ख्यातं तस्य दक्षिणतः स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi liṃgaṃ trailokyapūjitam | gātrotsargamiti khyātaṃ tasya dakṣiṇataḥ sthitam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹാദേവി, തുടർന്ന് ത്രൈലോക്യപൂജിതമായ ‘ഗാത്രോത്സർഗം’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ ലിംഗത്തിലേക്കു പോകുക; അത് ആ സ്ഥാനത്തിന്റെ തെക്കുഭാഗത്തു സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു।

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद् + तस्)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रमवाचक/temporal adverb)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Injunctive instruction)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक: महा + देवी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• त्रैलोक्यपूजितम्: worshipped by the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यपूजितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of लिङ्गम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रैलोक्य-पूजित (प्रातिपदिक; पूजित = पूज् (धातु)+क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• गात्रोत्सर्गम्: (called) ‘Gātrotsarga’
• गात्रोत्सर्गम्: Karma (Appositive object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र-उत्सर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (नामरूपेण)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Naming marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उक्तिसूचक/quotative particle)

• ख्यातम्: known (as)
• ख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (context: predicate adjective)

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• दक्षिणतः: to the south/right of
• दक्षिणतः: Adhikarana (Spatial relation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिणतः (अव्यय; दक्षिण + तस्)
• Form: अव्यय (दिशावाचक/ablatival adverb: ‘to the south/right side’)

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Kriya (Predicative)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gātrotsarga (Liṅga/Tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Devī on the next pilgrimage step: a revered liṅga named Gātrotsarga, placed to the south, glowing with tri-loka veneration amid coastal Prabhāsa sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Gātrotsarga (Liṅga/Tīrtha)
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Māhātmya frames pilgrimage as a guided sacred itinerary, where moving from shrine to shrine is itself a devotional discipline.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gātrotsarga Liṅga/Tīrtha in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directional injunction to proceed to the shrine; detailed rites are not specified in this verse.