Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

धनुषां द्वितये चैव नातिदूरे व्यवस्थितम् । सर्वपाप हरं लिंगं दर्शनादेव भामिनि

Transliteration

dhanuṣāṃ dvitaye caiva nātidūre vyavasthitam | sarvapāpa haraṃ liṃgaṃ darśanādeva bhāmini

Translation

രണ്ട് ധനുസ്സിന്റെ അകലത്തിൽ, അത്ര ദൂരമല്ലാതെ, ആ ലിംഗം സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്നു. ഹേ ഭാമിനി! അതിന്റെ ദർശനമാത്രംകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ എല്ലാ പാപങ്ങളും നശിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• धनुषाम्: of bows (as a measure)
• धनुषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive of measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धनुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th case), बहुवचन; परिमाणवाचक (measure)

• द्वितये: at a distance of two (bows)
• द्वितये: Adhikaraṇa (Locative of measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वितय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; परिमाणाधिकरण (in a distance of two)

• च: and
• च: Nipāta (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipāta
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• न: not
• न: Nipāta (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• अति-दूरे: very far (in ‘not very far’)
• अति-दूरे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति (अव्यय/उपसर्ग) + दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (‘अतिदूर’ = very far); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘न अतिदूरे’ = not very far

• व्यवस्थितम्: situated/placed
• व्यवस्थितम्: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु) उपसर्ग-वि+अव → व्यवस्थित (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्तान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (of लिङ्गम्)

• सर्व-पाप-हरम्: removing all sins
• सर्व-पाप-हरम्: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + हर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय/षष्ठीभाव: ‘सर्वाणि पापानि हरति’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (of लिङ्गम्)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object; understood with गच्छेत् from context)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दर्शनात्: from (its) sight; by seeing
• दर्शनात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन; हेतुवाचक अपादान (cause: from seeing)

• एव: alone/indeed
• एव: Nipāta
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण

• भामिनि: O lovely lady
• भामिनि: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भामिनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th case), एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Budheśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhāminī/Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands before a small liṅga-shrine; a measuring bow indicates ‘two bow-lengths’; the liṅga emits a cleansing aura dissolving dark ‘pāpa’ clouds around the devotee.

Characters & Entities

• Budheśvara
• Liṅga
• Darśana
• Pāpa
• Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred presence is transformative: darśana of a kṣetra-liṅga is portrayed as immediately purifying.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Budheśvara Liṅga in Prabhāsakṣetra, described as located very nearby (two bow-lengths).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (holy viewing) is emphasized as efficacious; no additional ritual is specified here.