Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । अथ तत्रैव देवेशि लिंगं गन्धर्वसेनया । स्थापितं घनवाहस्य पुत्र्या गौरीसमीपतः

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | atha tatraiva deveśi liṃgaṃ gandharvasenayā | sthāpitaṃ ghanavāhasya putryā gaurīsamīpataḥ

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ ദേവേശി! അവിടെയേ ഘനവാഹനന്റെ പുത്രിയായ ഗന്ധർവസേന ഗൗരിയുടെ സമീപത്ത് ഒരു ശിവലിംഗം പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• īśvaraḥ: Īśvara
• īśvaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• deveśi: O goddess, O queen of gods
• deveśi: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deveśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; (देवी/पार्वती) सम्बोधन

• liṅgam: liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gandharva-senayā: by the Gandharva-army (Gandharvasenā)
• gandharva-senayā: Karana (Instrument/Agentive means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gandharva (प्रातिपदिक) + senā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गन्धर्वाणां सेना)

• sthāpitam: installed
• sthāpitam: Kriya (Result state/कर्मणि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthāpita (कृदन्त; √sthā धातु, णिच्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) — ‘स्थापितम्’

• ghanavāhasya: of Ghanavāha(na)
• ghanavāhasya: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghanavāhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• putryā: by the daughter
• putryā: Karana (Agent in passive/कर्तृकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: putrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• gaurī-samīpataḥ: near Gaurī
• gaurī-samīpataḥ: Adhikarana (Proximity/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: gaurī (प्रातिपदिक) + samīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त ‘-तः’; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गौर्याः समीपः)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gandharvaseneśvara (liṅga established by Gandharva host) near Gaurī-sannidhi

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A celestial Gandharva host performs a liṅga-pratiṣṭhā near Gaurī’s shrine: musicians with vīṇā and mṛdaṅga, fragrant garlands, incense smoke, and a newly set stone liṅga beside a radiant Devī-sannidhi.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Devī
• Gandharva-senā
• Ghanavāhana
• Gaurī
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion expands into enduring sacred works—establishing shrines that allow future pilgrims to connect with Śiva through place-based worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A liṅga-shrine near Gaurī within Prabhāsa Kṣetra, as part of the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpana (installation of a liṅga) by devoted worshippers, implying continued pūjā at that spot.