Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

ऋषीणां यत्र सिद्धानां पुरा लिंगे निपातिते । यस्माज्जातो महादेवि तस्माद्देवकुलं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

ṛṣīṇāṃ yatra siddhānāṃ purā liṃge nipātite | yasmājjāto mahādevi tasmāddevakulaṃ smṛtam

Translation

ഹേ മഹാദേവി! പുരാതനകാലത്ത് ഋഷികളും സിദ്ധന്മാരും അവിടെ ലിംഗത്തിൽ അർപ്പണം നിവേദിച്ചപ്പോൾ അതിൽ നിന്ന് ദിവ്യപ്രകടനം ഉദിച്ചു; അതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ അത് ‘ദേവകുലം’ എന്നു സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• ऋषीणाम्: of the sages
• ऋषीणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• सिद्धानाम्: of the perfected ones (siddhas)
• सिद्धानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• पुरा: formerly, in ancient times
• पुरा: Kāla-adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• लिङ्गे: in/at the liṅga
• लिङ्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• निपातिते: having been placed/caused to fall (there)
• निपातिते: Karma (Object/कर्म) (in passive construction)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√पत् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘लिङ्गे’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• यस्मात्: from which/whom
• यस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• जातः: born, arisen
• जातः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; भूतकर्तरि कृदन्त (past active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—महā + देवī (कर्मधारय)

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• देवकुलम्: the family/lineage of the gods
• देवकुलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (of ‘smṛtam’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—देवानां कुलम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• स्मृतम्: is called/remembered as
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘देवकुलम्’ इत्यस्य विधेय-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (continued from previous verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Devakula (liṅga-sthāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ancient sages and siddhas surround a Śiva-liṅga in a forested shrine; as they perform offerings, a radiant divine emergence occurs from the liṅga, prompting the naming of the place as Devakula; Pārvatī listens as Īśvara recounts.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Siddhas
• Liṅga
• Mahādevī
• Devakula

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of place is rooted in divine manifestation responding to concentrated tapas and liṅga-worship by sages and Siddhas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Devakula in Prabhāsa-kṣetra, explained through an origin account tied to a Śiva-liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied liṅga-upāsanā by Ṛṣis/Siddhas (placing offerings/acts upon the liṅga), though no step-by-step injunction is stated.