Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

शतं चैव सहस्राणां देवेशं शशिभूषणम् । पूजयंति महासिद्धा मम क्षेत्रनिषेविणः

Transliteration

śataṃ caiva sahasrāṇāṃ deveśaṃ śaśibhūṣaṇam | pūjayaṃti mahāsiddhā mama kṣetraniṣeviṇaḥ

Translation

എന്റെ ക്ഷേത്രത്തെ സേവിക്കുന്ന മഹാസിദ്ധർ നൂറുകളും ആയിരങ്ങളും ആയി, ചന്ദ്രഭൂഷണനായ ദേവേശ ശിവനെ പൂജിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन — Nominative singular (संख्यावाचक)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय

• सहस्राणाम्: of thousands
• सहस्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन — Genitive plural

• देव-ईशम्: Lord of the gods
• देव-ईशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानाम् ईशः)

• शशि-भूषणम्: moon-adorned
• शशि-भूषणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शशि (प्रातिपदिक) + भूषण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative singular; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष: ‘moon-ornamented’

• पूजयन्ति: they worship
• पूजयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन — Present indicative, 3rd plural

• महा-सिद्धाः: great perfected beings
• महा-सिद्धाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + सिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Nominative plural; कर्मधारय: ‘great siddhas’

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive singular (pronoun)

• क्षेत्र-निषेविणः: those who frequent my sacred field
• क्षेत्र-निषेविणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक) + नि + √सेव् (धातु) → निषेविन् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन — Nominative plural; उपपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘क्षेत्रं निषेवते’ = ‘one who frequents the sacred field’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa kṣetra (Candraśekhara worship zone)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim-seeker/ṛṣi interlocutor (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Crowds of luminous siddhas in the air and on the ground offering flowers and lamps to Candraśekhara; Śiva’s crescent moon gleams; the kṣetra appears vibrant with continuous worship.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Deveśa
• Śaśibhūṣaṇa (moon-crested)
• Mahāsiddhas
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy kṣetra is sustained by continual worship; association with siddhas and devotion to Śiva elevates spiritual life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra as a whole—described as populated by mahāsiddhas engaged in Śiva worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śiva-pūjā (worship of the moon-crested Lord) as the ongoing practice of the kṣetra’s perfected devotees.