Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ईश्वर उवाच । ततः पश्येन्महादेवि तस्य दक्षिणतः स्थितम् । क्षेमेश्वरेति विख्यातमृषितोयातटे स्थितम्

Transliteration

īśvara uvāca | tataḥ paśyenmahādevi tasya dakṣiṇataḥ sthitam | kṣemeśvareti vikhyātamṛṣitoyātaṭe sthitam

Translation

ഈശ്വരൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ മഹാദേവി, തുടർന്ന് ആ സ്ഥലത്തിന്റെ തെക്കുഭാഗത്ത് ഋഷിതോയാ നദീതീരത്തിൽ സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്ന ‘ക്ഷേമേശ്വര’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധമായ സ്ഥാനത്തെ ദർശിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• ईश्वरः: Īśvara (Lord Śiva)
• ईश्वरः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय; तद्-तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय, काल/क्रम-वाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of sequence)

• पश्येत्: should see
• पश्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular); परस्मैपदम्

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• दक्षिणतः: to the south (of)
• दक्षिणतः: Adhikarana (Spatial/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिणतः (अव्यय; दिश्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: दिक्-सम्बन्धि अव्यय (directional adverb)

• स्थितम्: situated/standing
• स्थितम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); ‘(something) situated’

• क्षेमेश्वर-इति: ‘(called) Kṣemeśvara’
• क्षेमेश्वर-इति: Sambandha (Naming marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्षेमेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + इति (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-प्रयोगः नामनिर्देशे (quotative for naming)

• विख्यातम्: well-known
• विख्यातम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + ख्या (धातु) + विख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• ऋषि-तोय-तटे: on the bank of Ṛṣi-toya (river)
• ऋषि-तोय-तटे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक) + तोय (प्रातिपदिक) + तट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्थितम्: situated
• स्थितम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) + स्थित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṣemeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva (Īśvara) instructs Devī, pointing south toward a riverside shrine labeled Kṣemeśvara; the Ṛṣitoyā flows beside steps/ghāṭa and a liṅga-sanctum under sacred trees.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara (Śiva)
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)
• Kṣemeśvara
• Ṛṣitoya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is mapped onto geography: the Lord guides the devotee through a sequence of sanctified places meant for darśana and inner well-being (kṣema).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kṣemeśvara, located on the bank of the Ṛṣitoya, within Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A darśana instruction (“one should behold/visit”); further rites are not specified in this verse.