Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततो गच्छेन्महादेवि देवीं कंटकशोषिणीम् । उत्तरेण देवकुलाद्दक्षिणेनोन्नतात्स्थितात्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tato gacchenmahādevi devīṃ kaṃṭakaśoṣiṇīm | uttareṇa devakulāddakṣiṇenonnatātsthitāt

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—അതിനുശേഷം, ഹേ മഹാദേവി, കൺടകശോഷിണീ ദേവിയിലേക്കു പോകണം. അവൾ ദേവകുലത്തിന്റെ വടക്കിലും ‘ഉന്നത’ എന്ന സ്ഥലത്തിന്റെ തെക്കിലും സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു।

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• ततः: then/thereafter
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रम/हेतु-निर्देशक (adverb: then/thereafter)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gam (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + devī (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (महती देवि)

• देवीम्: the goddess
• देवीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• कण्टकशोषिणीम्: (she who) dries up/removes thorns (obstacles)
• कण्टकशोषिणीम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaṇṭaka + śoṣiṇī (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कण्टकान् शोषयति इति शोषिणी)

• उत्तरेण: to the north of
• उत्तरेण: Adhikaraṇa (Spatial relation/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतः दिशावाचकः (indeclinable directional: to the north of)

• देवकुलात्: from Devakula
• देवकुलात्: Apādāna (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devakula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• दक्षिणेन: to the south of
• दक्षिणेन: Adhikaraṇa (Spatial relation/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभूतः दिशावाचकः (indeclinable directional: to the south of)

• उन्नतात्: from the elevated (spot)
• उन्नतात्: Apādāna (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: unnata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (from the elevated place)

• स्थितात्: situated
• स्थितात्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sthita (प्रातिपदिक; √sthā क्त)
• Form: क्त (Past passive participle) रूपेण प्रातिपदिक; पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; स्थानविशेषण (being situated)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kaṇṭakaśoṣiṇī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Pārvatī on the next stop in the Prabhāsa pilgrimage: a modest Devī shrine named Kaṇṭakaśoṣiṇī, shown nestled between two landmark sites (Devakula and Unnata), with pilgrims moving along a sandy/coastal path.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Devī Kaṇṭakaśoṣiṇī
• Devakula
• Unnata
• Prabhāsa-kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is guided by precise sacred geography; approaching a named Devī in the tīrtha is itself a dharmic act that removes obstacles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, specifically the locale of Devī Kaṇṭakaśoṣiṇī situated between Devakula and Unnata.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A directional instruction for pilgrimage (gacchet—‘one should go’) to the Devī’s shrine; no specific dāna/snānā/japa is stated in this verse.