Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि त्रितकूपमिति स्मृतम् । नंदादित्यस्य पूर्वेण योजनत्रितयेन तु

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi tritakūpamiti smṛtam | naṃdādityasya pūrveṇa yojanatritayena tu

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ മഹാദേവി, ‘ത്രിതകൂപം’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ സ്ഥലത്തേക്കു പോകണം; അത് നന്ദാദിത്യത്തിന്റെ കിഴക്കായി മൂന്ന് യോജന ദൂരത്തിലാണ്।

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• 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 (3rd person), एकवचन

• 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 (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• त्रितकूपम्: (to) Tritakūpa (name of a well/place)
• त्रितकूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रितकूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; समास: त्रितस्य कूपः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरण-चिह्न/निपात (quotative particle)

• स्मृतम्: is remembered/called
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (as ‘is called/remembered’)

• नन्दादित्यस्य: of Nandāditya
• नन्दादित्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दादित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; समास: नन्द + आदित्य (नाम-समास)

• पूर्वेण: to the east of; by the eastern side
• पूर्वेण: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; दिशावाचक (directional)

• योजनत्रितयेन: by (a distance of) three yojanas
• योजनत्रितयेन: Karana (Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योजन-त्रितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; समास: त्रि + योजन (द्विगु) = ‘three yojanas’

• तु: indeed; but
• तु: Discourse (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tritakūpa

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Īśvara instructs Mahādevī on a pilgrimage map-like scene: Nandāditya behind them, and to the east a marked well (kūpa) called Tritakūpa; attendants prepare for travel with water pots and staffs.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Īśvara)
• Pārvatī
• Tritakūpa
• Nandāditya
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is presented as a guided dharmic journey—moving from one sanctified site to another in an ordered sacred landscape.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tritakūpa, described in relation to Nandāditya within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A yātrā instruction: proceed to Tritakūpa, located three yojanas east of Nandāditya.